The Heroine and the Beast
by Dream-Runaway
Summary: -Slightly darker AU- Belle hides her beauty, and who she is, to save herself from starvation, and join the army as Bellamy. Now, a hero of war, she searches for the infamous beast who haunts a neighboring land- possibly her only way out of a false identity that could cost her her life.
1. Chapter 1

_A beauty that hid her appearance to save her life. A beast who hid naught but his heart. A battle for victory in which none could defeat the other without precipitating their own downfall._

 **Chapter 1**

Baldur trotted softly beneath me as we came up another hill. The familiar clinking of my armor faded into the background with each step. The streaks of sunlight were filtering through the trees in an orange heavenly glow that announced nightfall was coming soon. But I didn't want to push Baldur to go any faster, even if it meant camping out in the wilderness another night. We had been riding for days and he needed the respite as much, if not more, than I did.

The small town in the forgotten land I had been told about seemed more and more a legend than truth the farther I traveled. How was this even a country? No wonder it had been without a ruler for over two centuries and no one had bothered to claim the throne or conquer the land. Even my king had no knowledge of there being a kingdom of any kind overseeing the land. Ever since I had crossed the border four days ago, I had seen nothing but dark forests, wild animals that seemed unnatural and damned, small villages where time seemed to have stopped completely and where no one had any contact at all with the outside world. Some were even surprised to find out they had no royal family. They had been left alone for so long, without being taxed or bothered, that they hadn't even made an effort to find out why. And they preferred it that way. They took care of their own justice and traded within each other in kind, small communities and hardly dealt with any money at all.

In all my years in the war, I had seen nothing like it.

But that was not even the most intriguing part. I had heard tales of a monster residing in the deepest, darkest part of the forest. It devoured anyone who dared step into its territory, leaving no trace of life in its wake. The local town that resided on its borders lived in constant fear to meet with this beast and lose their life to it. There were many versions describing this fearsome animal but none seemed more than the stuff of tall tales. All that every story agreed on was that its terrifying roars could be heard all the way to the village and some had said to have seen its massive paw prints on the moss of the forest, tainted with blood, but none dared to follow the trail anymore as any that did, simply never came back.

It was the perfect cover up for me. Ever since the end of the war, it had become increasingly difficult to hide my identity. I had never been very busty or developed like the other girls my age. When all the village girls were whispering about their changing bodies, I had nothing to share. No sign of bleeding, hair in new places, or even a growing chest. I had always been told I was a beauty for my face but as I reached the age of fifteen and my body remained that of a child's, I began to question just how true those compliments could be, and whether I was cursed to never become a woman in my own right. And so when my father became ill and died that year, my options became nonexistent.

There was always Monsieur Dubois, who had always admired me even as a child, and who as an influential man in the village seemed like the perfect choice for me, according to everyone but myself, of course. My stubborn body assured me I could never have children and marriage without providing sons was considered more shameful than being a spinster. So when he proposed and I refused, he thought it was meant to fire his passion even further, as I must have known he was my only option. When I assured him I was relentless in my decision, he found me late at night and forced himself on me.

That's when he began telling others that he had had his way with me, thinking it could force me into the marriage. But as the months passed and I showed no signs of pregnancy, the rumors died, and his attempts at forcing my hand turned out futile.

But that was the least of my problems at the time.

Not only was I dealing with the loss of my only parent, and the emotional pain of my unfortunate encounter with that nasty old man, but also I had my rapidly increasing poverty to consider. I was expected to starve before the winter even set.

That's when I heard of the king demanding more soldiers for the war. Most capable young men had already left and only the boys of fourteen years and younger were left in the homes. And now it was time for even them to join the war efforts.

But as my circumstances became more desperate, my courage arose even higher. I snuck away from the town with all I had left in a small sack, including my mother's pendant- the only thing I refused to part with even if it meant my starvation. When I arrived at the camp three days later, I had cut my hair to below my shoulders and tucked it in a ponytail, my face was dirty beyond recognition and the recruiting soldiers so tired and disheartened that when I gave a fake name- Bellamy- and said I was thirteen years of age, they hardly took a second look at me before I was shoved in with the rest of the boys into training.

I was undernourished and disheartened, and soon fell behind the boys, until our general Gaston took me aside one day.

"Is there anyone who has wronged you so bad that it fires your blood?" he asked as he stood a whole foot above me, in his red regimentals, his arms and muscles the very picture of strength.

I nodded as a picture of Monsieur Dubois appeared in my mind, his blackened teeth and greasy hair hanging over me as he…

"Then imagine you are taking this sword and slashing it through his heart every time" he answered.

And that was what I did. Every time I attacked one of my fellow training soldiers in practice, my hatred grew stronger and with it, I grew stronger. And that was how I made it through the war. Every time I took a man's life, I pictured Monsieur Dubois's horrid smile, and it was too easy. But regardless of my prowess in war, in the dark nights as I tried to sleep, he haunted my dreams, making me cry out in the night, hiding my tears to make sure no one ever knew my secret or who I truly was. And waking up from the nightmare was like living that night once again, all over.

Even as I killed him hundreds of times in my mind, he still terrorized me, every night.

It didn't matter how many of my enemies' lives I took, nothing could remove those memories that were ingrained in the deepest parts of my mind.

At least I had the war to occupy my mind during the day. But once it was over, I no longer had a helmet or dirt to hide behind. As we all returned to the king triumphant, we were treated to life in court for the celebration and afterwards I was knighted and bestowed riches and an estate for my services to the crown. Ha! If only the king knew he'd just knighted a girl. However, it didn't take long for people to start rumors about this Bellamy- whose face looked so feminine, scars and all, even if he'd gathered a reputation for his mercilessness in battle. And with the proper aliment, my body finally, at the age nineteen began to show some growth where it had never deigned to do so before.

I couldn't stay there where I was too known to be able to fade away and resurface as my true self- Belle. I knew I had to start somewhere new. After thanking the king for his kindness, I begged to return the gift of the estate and be allowed to travel the world. He acceded only after giving me the value of it in coin and sending me away with a letter with his own seal stating my knighthood and allowing me to keep my horse- Baldur.

I knew I had to die and resurface somewhere else as an heiress of some kind to justify my means and lack of family, and not be recognized by anyone. The tales I'd heard of this ferocious monster were my perfect cover. I thought I'd travel to this distant land with no name and no king, disappear into the forest in search of the beast and feign my death there. What could be more indisputable than the death of a brave soldier at the hands of an unnatural monstrosity?

Then I could go anywhere I wanted and stop having to pretend to be someone I was not, just to survive. As well as I blended in with the soldiers, I missed wearing dresses and reading a book at my leisure as I enjoyed the afternoon sun by a creek. I wanted to be Belle again. I was tired of fighting and hating and hiding.

But the deeper I traveled into the land, the more intrigued I became with this monster. If they really were so terrified of him and he was such a menace to the surrounding society, I could give it a try, couldn't I? I had no fear to die at its claws. I had so far survived every horror life had laid out at my feet, each more undefeatable than the one before, and against the odds, I had conquered each. And I would conquer this one as well.

Just then I surfaced yet another hill to see the small village at the foot of it. Smoke was coming out of the chimneys in the old homes as the people began to gather their things and made their way inside before night fell.

I sighed as I took in the view of it, the light from the fires inside the small and humble houses becoming visible and I prayed this would be the exception of the land, and actually had a working inn.

That's when I heard the screams of the villagers as the echoing roars of the beast shook the land all around us.

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 **A/N: Thank you dear reader, for giving this story a chance. Please let me know what you think. Follow and review for more (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the reviews and follows! I hope you enjoy the next installment of the story.**

 **Chapter 2**

I couldn't deny the way my skin crawled as the twisted, awful sound of the beast's roars traveled through the land.

Baldur was startled by the unfamiliar animalistic call and took off running down the path we had been following all the way down to the small town.

The sounds of the people scurrying ceased as we arrived, doors shutting along with windows, and not a soul stayed wandering outside.

Some torches were alight along the main road and I slowly traveled down it in search of what could look like an establishment of some sort.

The road snaked to the left and down a small decline in the earth as we rode farther into the town.

I reached what seemed to be the town center as the buildings were all facing a fountain in the center of an open cobbled-stoned space, forming a circle.

I heard some laughter coming from what looked to have once been a tavern with a few well-lit windows. But I'd been fooled before. Most towns in this land had once had inns that had fallen out of use and abandoned or turned into homes. But there were two horses tied to a post outside and my heart leaped at the sight of them. Surely a home of this size would have a stable for the horses to sleep in.

This looked more like an inn than anything I had seen in the last four days.

I climbed off Baldur and tied him along with the other horses and caressed his nose as I reassured him I'd be back soon.

I touched the back of my neck to check for my hair. It had grown much longer than any man ever let it grow- no longer just below my shoulders but now falling almost to my waist. I had missed my hair and had tried to grow it out the last year as the war seemed to come to its close. If I was going to pass off as a lady anywhere, I needed to look like one. So I had taken careful pains to excuse not cutting it and keeping it from attracting attention. I often braided it and tucked it inside my helmet or my armor but that required that I check it often to make sure it didn't fall out.

It had indeed fallen out of my helmet this time as we had run down the hill at the sound of the beast and so I tucked it in as best as I could. I puffed my chest in instead of out, as I usually had done in the past. Before when my chest had been flat, I had always puffed it out to make it appear wider and larger like my general Gaston's but since my breasts had decided to develop, I had had to do the opposite to keep them hidden. Thankfully, with some wrapping they stayed mostly out of sight but any puffing of my chest that I ever did unconsciously from the years of being used to doing it, assured me a few odd looks from others.

However, I could still lift my shoulders high to exaggerate their width some, and walk with my legs slightly open. I raised my chin in the air to appear taller and made sure my face bore some dirt and grime. And so I was ready.

I pushed the door open to be met with what looked like a large room, a few tables and chairs about and five or six men strewn about the place.

They all turned their heads towards my loud entrance. I had learned that a quiet entrance was reserved for ladies and so I always made sure to make a ruckus everywhere I entered. Thankfully my armor helped in that as it was metal and heavy.

As with most villagers before, they seemed dumbstruck by the sight of me. They weren't used to travelers or strangers coming by.

I rolled my shoulders once, my armor clanking and stuck my chin out.

"Bellamy of Villeneux, Knight of King Rudolph III and Hero of the Meranthian War" I said in my raspy voice as I stared at each of them slowly. "Is this your town inn?" I asked firmly.

The men eyed me wearily and one of the older responded.

"Aye, what brings you around here? Coming to kill the beast and find glory, too?" he asked and a few others chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, I am" I replied strongly. "I need a room for the night and to have my horse taken care of. Who runs this establishment?" I asked.

"You look too young to die, kid. Go back to whence you came" said a dark haired man of about forty.

"When and how I die is my business" I said reproachfully, narrowing my eyes at him. "Now where is the man who runs this establishment?" I repeated.

"I am" said the other older man who sitting with the others, drinking a beer as well. "Do you have coin?" he asked me.

I walked towards him and flipped three coins on the table.

"That should cover room and food for one night" I said assuredly to him as I planted myself in front of him.

He eyed me curiously before speaking again.

"Who did you say you were again?" he asked me, his eyes covering the length of my body.

I grabbed one of the half-drunk mugs on the table and brought it to my lips, making sure to not show any of the disgust I felt sharing saliva with the dirty men of the tavern. I gulped it down and wiped the foam from my mouth before setting it down on the old wooden table with a thump.

"Bellamy of Villeneux, Knight of King Rudolph III, and Hero of the Meranthian War" I said slowly and menacingly, but he seemed undisturbed.

His hand reached out and collected the coins before lazily getting up and motioning me to follow.

"Gentlemen" I nodded to the rest of the men with an inquisitive eyebrow to show I hardly meant it and followed him up the stairs.

He showed me to the first door and opened it for me.

"We're not an inn anymore per se, as no one ever comes here" he said with a shrug, "except for stupid men like you who have a death wish" he said and began to walk down the stairs. "There's some food left. Come for it soon or it's going to the dogs" he added as he stepped down.

I walked in the small room and took a look around.

There was a straw mattress on the floor but not much else. However, the room seemed well guarded from the elements and warm. I let out a deep breath and sat down on the bed of straw.

I was so tired of this charade, of having to exaggerate and look like a fool just to not be questioned about my features and lack of facial hair. But if everything went according to plan, it wouldn't last for much longer.

I removed my heavy armor and stayed in my boots, shirt and trousers. My muscles ached from carrying its weight all day long and I thought of poor Baldur who actually had to carry me with it on his back.

I just wanted to flop back and pass out on the first comfortable surface I'd landed on for days but I knew I needed my strength for tomorrow. I was planning to set out into the forest in search of this infamous beast.

My father had always said if you saw someone hurting and it was in your power to help, you should do it or else you might as well be causing them the pain yourself. Deep inside, I had always known the possibility of the beast being real existed, but it sounded like the stuff from legends. I figured I'd find the place to be told it was all stories but as everyone back home knew I'd set out to kill the beast, they'd all assume I'd died when I never returned.

But now, being here, and seeing the terror it caused, having heard its wicked and unnatural roar shake the land, knowing it had been the death of many, could I really walk away without trying?

I wished I could but I knew I couldn't. I tied my cape around my shoulders, tucked my long braid inside of it and made my way downstairs to eat.

Everyone looked again as my steps announced me but returned to their own conversations much sooner than before. I sat at a table near the others to try and listen in to any knowledge that could be useful.

"So you're really going to try to kill the beast?" asked me the owner as he set a plate of meat and potatoes in front of me.

"That's right" I answered confidently as I brought the roasted turkey leg to my mouth and took a careless bite.

"You know, no one comes back from that side of the forest?" he asked me as he sat across from me. "Take my advice and turn yourself around and find another adventure".

"Have any of the carcasses ever been found?" I asked him.

He shook his head lamentably.

"He leaves no trace" he said lowly.

"Then how do you know they haven't simply gotten lost or gone away to another land?" I asked.

"Every single one of them? Nah" he replied. "That beast has tormented our town for over two centuries. We hear it every night and we know it eats anyone who gets close enough to be captured. We stay out of its way and show it the respect it deserves, and we get to live" he stated.

"Has anyone ever seen it?" I asked curious and glad to be getting some answers.

"It doesn't leave survivors… tell me, have you ever heard of man, beast, or animal that could live that long? That monster is perverse… it's no regular creature, even for these parts" he replied.

"For these parts?" I asked but I already knew what he meant. I hadn't seen a single animal in the land that didn't look freakish in some way or another.

"Tale says ever since the beast came around, he has cursed our land and that's why our animals suffer and our crops wither. It's only due to hard work and kindness from each other that anyone manages to survive" he explained.

"Why don't people leave?" I asked bewildered.

"It's all we know, and how do we know wherever we end up, it won't be worse?" he said standing up, leaving me to my food as I pondered on this knowledge and struggled with myself. Did I really know what I had gotten myself into?

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 **A/N: Please let me know what you think of the chapter (: I hope you all enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As I swung my heavily-armored leg over Baldur, I took notice of the villagers that had come out of their homes and were watching the scene.

Dawn was only just providing enough light for some of the workers to get started on their trades, but apart from a few, most were standing around, staring at Baldur and me.

I could recognize some of the men who had been in the tavern last night, but there were also some other faces I hadn't seen before. Had the news of my arrival spread so quickly?

I had only allowed myself to rest one night before taking off again. This beast business was unsettling, and I felt my bravery falter at the thought of the impending encounter. I felt as if I waited any longer, I might talk myself out of it. And I couldn't live with that. I couldn't go on with my life knowing that I had come all the way here, just to use this village's tragedy to cover up the lies I had created to put away mine, and then turning my back on them.

I had risked my life all the years that I was part of the war, and for a cause that I wasn't even sure I believed in. So why couldn't I do it for a cause that actually needed me, or anyone, to take action for them? To save them? If I had considered myself a hero before, for taking the lives of so many to relieve myself of my own anger, I no longer felt that way. Rage tired you and took a toll on your heart, until you realized it doesn't matter how many you take down, nothing can change what your past is, or erase your haunted memories.

Helping this forsaken village was the first task with meaning that I had taken upon myself. Perhaps this was the key to finding peace within me.

I waved to them once as I rode away on top of Baldur, his hoofs clacking on the stone as I trotted out of the village and into the dark forest to the right of it.

Fear was a friend of mine. I had been living with it my entire life almost. So, when it took over me and made me shiver as the tall trees hid the little light that reached the forest floor, I tried my age-old trick. I thought of Monsieur Dubois, his greasy hair hanging down over my face, his smelly breath coming out of his rotten mouth, the deep animal-like laughter that he emitted… I needed the rage, if only one last time, so I could drown my own fear, and feed off of the anger until the blood in my veins pumped fast with determination and strength and valor.

But it was like an old scent, that after a while lost its potency and faded into the back of your mind somehow. As of recent my method had lost some of its effect, and I felt myself pathetically sighing as the desired effect didn't take hold.

I needed to try something else. I thought of me… of Belle. The name I had to say out loud in private whenever I had the chance to make sure I didn't forget it- that was who I was. Bellamy had fought and won so many battles but that persona was weak on other aspects. It fed on anger and resentment but broke down in the night when everyone else was asleep and the pain got too strong and too large to be held in a small human chest like mine.

That was when I whispered my name to myself. "Belle. My name is Belle. I am my father's daughter. I am brave and I am so strong, and I can overcome anything". And if I said that to myself enough, I could fall asleep once the sobs had shaken me up enough. But I never trusted myself to be able to handle my reality once the morning came. I wasn't a man and I didn't belong there. I had to be Bellamy, if only to get through the horrors of the day.

"Belle. My name is Belle" I said out loud now as I strode through the darkness. I said it out loud, in my own voice, no longer needing to be afraid of being overheard. "I am my father's daughter. I am brave" I said firmly and paused to gather that courage I needed to keep urging Baldur on as the air became colder and the mist got thicker. "and I am so strong… and I can overcome anything. Even killing this beast!" I finished as I gently kicked the sides of Baldur to let him know I wanted him to go faster, but he hesitated. I could tell he was unsettled by the mist that surrounded us.

I couldn't lie and say that I was any less intimidated by the lack of far vision. But we kept going forward and after ten minutes or so, it began to thin out again.

The landscape had changed some. That had to be a good sign. It must have meant we were getting closer to the Beast's domain.

The trees had taken odd shapes, and were covered in dried twisted vines. They towered over us as the growing moss hung from their gigantic branches.

I felt my heart pick up its pace inside of my chest as my eyes searched for any movement. The trees were becoming more far apart and I was able to see farther. And the light was improving also, thankfully, as morning took over.

I almost wanted to tie Baldur to a tree and continue on foot. It would keep him safe and I needed the element of surprise if I was going to have the upper hand with this animal.

I had almost decided on it when my eyes caught some movement about thirty meters away. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to make it out. Was it a bear?

No, it couldn't be. It had horns… and was it wearing some sort of cape? It was slowly prancing on all fours and as its cape flowed and allowed me to see more of it… were those breeches?

What was I looking at? This looked like no animal I had ever seen… it had to be the fearsome infamous Beast.

And it hadn't seen me yet. This was my chance. I didn't want to unmount Baldur now as any movement could alert it of my presence.

I reached behind my back slowly and grasped my crossbow. I placed one arrow on it and aimed… but my hands were shaking and so I took a deep breath to steady them. I held my breath as I slowly moved the crossbow to keep up with the Beast's slow pace until I was sure his eye would be at the sharp end of my arrow once I shot.

I let the sling go and before the arrow had even reached its intended target, I had another in place. I aimed and shot it without another thought and then I heard its gruesome roar rip through the forest. I reached for another arrow and shot again but he had already spotted me. My aim had missed his eye the first time, digging into its back instead, and the other into its massive shoulder.

His eyes landed on me as he turned his whole body with one rough but fast movement.

I released my fourth arrow. It tried to avoid it but it landed on its other shoulder. He roared one more time as it stood on its hind legs and reached full height as its teeth were bared for my eyes.

What had I done?

He reached in an uncanny way for the arrows, closed his paws around each and pulled at them as his beastly cries ripped through the trees.

I unmounted Baldur immediately. I didn't want him getting hurt.

I placed my crossbow behind my back once again as I anticipated its attack.

I unsheathed my sword and began running towards it with a war cry. Belle's war cry.

He charged towards me at full speed as I ran to meet him halfway. I could see its large muscles flexing under its fur as it got closer and closer. He was moving unusually fast for having just had arrows hurt its back and shoulder so bad.

But I had no time left for thoughts. I pulled back my arm and flexed my muscles to stab him through its chest as it tried to pounce on me.

The tip of my sword met its skin and sliced through, as its claws dug in between the links of my armor and into my shoulders and crashed me unto the hard ground. The pain of the landing devoured my back as the torture from its claws digging into my flesh battled to be felt more.

My head hit the ground hard, my skull banging against the metal of my helmet. I knew this could be my end but I looked to my sword and saw its handle only, as the rest of it had gone through the monster's body.

As I accepted my impending death, I laughed shakily as I thought that he wouldn't survive to eat my entire body.

I pulled it back as far as I could until my hand hit the ground and dug it in the same wound again, and again, drawing tortured cries from its large mouth.

Its head snapped back as it roared and collapsed to its side. But not before its claws had lifted my body off the ground and thrown it in the air until my ailing back thudded against a tree trunk and landed on its twisted roots. My crossbow had been crushed under my weight when the beast had crashed my body against the ground, but now it had flown off my back and broke into two pieces when it hit a boulder a few meters away.

I screamed as I landed on my hurting shoulder and the rest of my body protested with blinding pain. I rolled away from the tree, my helmet rolling off my head, and my hair, which had been bundled up inside it, came undone and fell around me.

I wondered if this beast could understand that it had been killed by a girl. I hadn't bothered to dirty up my face or even braid my hair as I wasn't expecting to run into any humans and so I knew without my helmet on I looked every bit the girl I was. I smiled at the thought as I spit out the dirt that had come inside my mouth from my downwards position against the ground.

I tried to push myself off the ground with my arms as a wailing scream left my throat. The pain in my shoulders from the beast's claws was unbearable and I fell on the ground. I managed to look sideways towards it, as it pulled out my bloody sword from its chest.

If it could still move, then could it still eat me? I tried to move my legs but one split with pain as I felt the bone twist inside me. It was broken. It had to be. The same leg had broken once before in battle and so the pain was familiar.

I looked down but my armor was hiding it from my sight, and I couldn't see just how bad it was. Perhaps if the Beast died from the chest wound, I could heal myself back to health and make it out of here.

I looked to it again, to ascertain the damage but it seemed to be getting up again. How was it possible?

I was sure I had gotten its heart! This really had to be an unnatural monster if it could indeed survive that.

I looked at it as all hope left me. It was getting up on its legs again and prowling towards me as its snout twitched from anger, a low roar coming from deep within it.

I looked over to Baldur who was a few meters away. Why hadn't he run yet? My sweet Baldur. I didn't want him to die at the hands of this monster, too.

"Run Baldur, run!" I screamed to him as the Beast got closer and closer. Why wasn't he running away?

A tear escaped my eye as I closed them. I didn't want to watch the Beast as it opened its jaw and devoured me.

I felt its ragged breath come close to my face- its moisty warmth hitting me- and a whimper left my throat.

With what I was sure was my last breath, I opened my mouth and screamed again: "Go, Baldur. Run, darling! Go!" and then my breath left my body.

I shook as I prayed it would take me quickly and I wouldn't suffer too much.

"It's a… girl" I heard a growly voice say close to me. My heart jumped! Who was that?

I opened my eyes and to my own terror, I saw the face of the Beast looming over me with his fangs coming out of its mouth, but the eyes… they were looking into mine and they were… eerily human. And had _it_ spoken?

I must have lost my mind.

With that, I felt its paw come behind my back and lift me, surely to bring me to its mouth, but it didn't. It picked me up and threw me over its shoulder. My face landed on its back as its front extremity held my thighs against… his chest? He was standing on its hind legs now and with a step, began walking so.

My face hit its cape as it walked. My eyes looked for Baldur but I couldn't see him anymore. I hoped he had ran far and fast.

I didn't know what this monster had planned for me, as it had decided not to eat me yet, but my mind couldn't focus on anything anymore. My vision blurred as I felt the broken bone in my leg dig into my flesh and the wounds on my shoulders began seeping blood. I watched the red drops fall to the grass as my consciousness left me.

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 **A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 3 (: Please let me know your thoughts on it. It is very much appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I faintly remember the certainty of my impending, and gruesome end, as I watched my blood stain the forest floor. It was the first thought that came to mind as my consciousness woke.

Then the headache came alive, like a thump to your head, except it didn't fade one bit as the seconds passed. The stinging pain in my shoulders came back next, but only for a few seconds did it have my attention, as the rest of my wounds flared up. I could feel where my back was surely bruised mercilessly, but especially the excruciating agony of my broken leg shot up my body and made me intake a breath that I was too afraid to let out again.

But above all, I noticed there was no new pain. I remembered each of the lesions I felt at the moment, but there were no new ones. Shouldn't I have been feeling his claws ripping through me, his teeth devouring my flesh? I'd seen beasts eat their pray before, even if they'd always been the natural kind, but they didn't usually wait. They consumed it while it was still warm and the belly was the first area they fed on.

My hands reached for mine but all they felt was my coarse shirt, dry and all in one piece.

I slowly let my breath out. Having been injured before, I remembered what a rushed release of breath could do to a wounded body, and specially to a broken bone, even if it was in the leg and not the torso.

I took small breaths through my mouth, careful not to move a muscle, and opened my eyes slowly in case the Beast was watching me.

My eyelids came open just a smidge and I saw some light to my right, perhaps coming from an open door? But I saw no movement or sign of its silhouette, so I risked opening them a bit more.

The light was coming from a large window, I could see it then. There were long heavy curtains covering most of it though, so only a streak came through.

Most of the room I was in was covered in darkness… room? I _was_ in a room. I felt beneath me the soft coverings of a bed, even if it felt dusty under my fingertips.

That's when I realized I was no longer wearing my armor, had the beast taken it off? How?

I tried to focus on anything that I could hear, since my sight and touch could tell me no more.

Was that its breathing? A chill ran through me quickly, and I instinctively held my own breath to try and decipher if I was hearing what I thought.

It was indeed breathing but unlike any I'd ever heard. The only thing it resembled was Baldur's breathing when it was sleeping, but this one sounded deeper, properly so being that its mass was probably much larger than Baldur's. I had no doubt then that the Beast must have been lying in wait, a few feet from me in the darkness of the room I was laying in.

I felt my blood rush through me as my mind went into its warrior way of thinking. I needed to detect everything about my situation before it detected I was awake, if it hasn't already done so.

I took a quick sweep of the room with what little light there was. Something sparkled from what seemed to be a table of some sort next to the window. It was reflecting a very small amount of light, and I didn't know if it was wishful thinking, but it looked a lot like the hilt of my sword. If I could only get to it before it could get to me, I could stand a chance of defeating it. The Beast had to be wounded, heavily so, if it had carried me a distance after having been stabbed through the chest and hurt by my arrows.

But so was I. I couldn't expect to be able to stand on my bad leg and I couldn't fight standing on only one. My shoulders were hurt from the punctures of its deep claws and to even hold my heavy sword, much less swing it, would aggravate the lesions.

But I had to try. Giving up would mean my certain death. I had to take whatever chance this plan provided.

I followed the streak of light with my eyes, from the floor across my bed and where it landed all along the room.

It looked like to my left there was a large armchair where the sounds of the breathing were coming from. Perhaps it was there that it lay sleeping. If I could reach my sword and get to it without causing much noise, then I could take its life before it even woke.

I tried to discern what I saw on it but it was hard to tell. I couldn't see any fur but there did seem to be something there…

I couldn't keep wasting time. It could wake and I would lose my chance.

I lifted my hurt leg off the bed and tried to bring it to the floor without letting my cries be heard. I would need to readjust the bone once the Beast was dead or it would never heal properly. But I couldn't do it now. If I could hold in the cries of moving the limb now, I knew I couldn't once I forced the bone to move back into position. I'd had it done before and it was one of the worst pains I'd ever experienced.

I let my foot gently touch the floor before I lifted my torso off the bed. While the movement jagged my shoulder wounds, it wasn't too bad. I was positive I could wield my sword with this pain. I placed my good foot on the floor too and tried to slowly put my weight on as I lifted myself from the bed. Thankfully the movement didn't make too much noise.

I was standing on my good leg now. But looking at my bad one, even through my trousers, told me what I suspected. Even after I repositioned the bone, it would be weeks before I could walk on it.

How would I get to my sword now? I couldn't hop to it. That would make too much noise and surely wake the Beast. I tried shifting my foot sideways by moving my heel while supporting myself on my toes. But the movement made me lose balance and my hand landed on the bed for support.

Blast it!

I looked behind me towards the large armchair but I saw no movement and the breathing sounded as even as before.

If I could just…

"I'd rather you didn't try to kill me again" I heard a thunderous voice break the silence.

"Who's there?" I asked as my heart jumped.

"You've already hurt yourself enough as it is and I should tell you, you couldn't take my life even I wanted you to" the voice said again.

"Show yourself!" I cried out as my breathing became quicker and quicker.

I heard the screaking of furniture and some movement in the streak of light.

I hopped back on my good foot as I heard a large body move towards me.

I heard the large steps of a being walk towards the large window and throw the curtains open.

My heart beat wildly inside my chest as I saw the silhouette of the Beast I'd fought earlier stand against the flooding light.

"You can talk?" I asked bewildered as it dawned on me that the monstrosity before me had been the one speaking. And it seemed to be fully clothed now the way a man would be. But its horns still stuck out of its furry head and its claws fell at its sides.

"Yes, and I can think, too. And while I can't unfortunately die, however it does hurt when you stab me through the chest or shoot arrows at me, so let's make a deal. You don't try to kill me and I don't try to kill _you_ " it spoke, its growly voice shaking my very soul.

It couldn't die? That would explain why it hadn't perished at my sword before, but what kind of monster was this? That couldn't be taken down by the sword and could speak like a human?

"Who… are you?" I asked slowly.

"The Beast… don't you know?" he asked.

"Yes, but what are you? And why did you bring me here? Aren't you going to… eat me?" I asked dreading that I even asked the question, in case I gave him the idea.

"Eat you?" it asked and a beastly laugh came from it. "No, thank you. And you should know one thing before you try and escape out of here and get yourself killed by something else. This castle is cursed. And the land surrounding it also. No one can escape. No one ever has. So, I suggest you start getting used to the idea that you'll spend the rest of your days here" it said and with loud steps began to stomp out of the room.

"Wait!" I wailed. My mind was swirling with questions. "I need… your help" I said as my leg took precedence in my thoughts.

If I didn't have it repositioned soon it could heal crooked. And I'd never had to do it to myself before. The pain was unbearable and almost impossible to cause to yourself.

It grunted as it turned around by the door.

"My leg…" I began.

"Don't know anything about it!" it growled as it turned back around.

"I do! I just can't do it myself, please" I begged the strange creature across the room.

It walked towards me, as it had been doing, on its hind legs and approached me.

The closer it got, the taller I realized it was and the more my mind struggled to reconcile the fact that it wasn't trying to kill me or that it could think and talk.

It stood so high above me that I had to breath in deeply to calm my fears.

But for the first time, looking at it so close, I saw its eyes. And they looked eerily human… what _was_ this Beast?

I sat on the bed, my eyes never leaving its eyes.

"It needs to be pushed back into place" I said already squirming at the memory of how much pain I was about to subject myself to. I lifted the leg of my trouser to show where the bone was pushing out the muscle. It hadn't broken the skin though, which meant heavy bruising was soon to follow. "Just press on it, gently" I added, as I saw its large paws, and realized how much stronger it was than any doctor who had tended to me before. "Just snap it back into its place" I said my breathing becoming quicker and quicker.

It crouched on the floor and placed its paw beneath my leg, with surprising gentleness.

It placed its other paw just above the lump where my bone was most predominantly lifting my skin but didn't touch it.

"Like so?" it asked without meeting my eyes, its voice sounding softer than before.

"Yes, just press it… wait!" I wailed. "Just one moment, please" I asked trying to prepare myself.

I reached behind me and grabbed the pillow my head had been resting on.

I pressed my face on it and bit its dusty surface.

I nodded slowly as I pressed the pillow to my face and bit so hard on it that my jaw began to ache.

I felt its cold paw touch my skin, and my impulse was to move the hurt leg away, but I forced my body to stay put as my mind screamed to move it away from what was going to cause it so much pain.

My shrilling cry shook my chest, breaking through the room, as I heard the bone crack by being snapped back into the place. The pain I remembered was nothing compared to what I felt. I didn't know if time had shrouded the memory or if this hurt more, but I couldn't remember a time when I wished more to have my leg completely chopped off rather than stand the pain of it.

I felt the tears run down my cheeks as I cried, falling back into the bed, my back arched instinctively.

"I'm sorry, did I…? Is it fixed now?" I heard the Beast ask but I couldn't respond, I couldn't do anything but feel.

My cries quieted down as the pain settled and relief spread through me with each bit of pain that faded.

I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked down at the leg. It looked the right shape now, at least.

I brought my hand to it, as I sat up and softly ran it down where my bone should have connected back with itself.

It was too sensitive to feel on the fracture but it appeared to be properly back in its place.

"Thank you" I managed to get out from my shaken body as I tried to lift my eyes to the Beast before me.

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 **A/N: Sorry if you guys are confused by anything in this chapter, but I promise as we go further into the plot, everything will become clear. Just remember this is an AU and some things will differ more than others.**

 **Please share with me your thoughts on the chapter, I would so appreciate to hear them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you everyone for all the inspiring reviews! (:**

 **Chapter 5**

After my 'thank you', it had been as if a spell had been broken. I swear I remember the Beast asking if I was alright in a concerned manner, after he had reset my leg, as I was writhing in pain. But all that was gone once I had looked into his eyes and thanked him.

It had been as if that 'thank you', had changed something in him, reminded him not to start feeling sorry for his food, perhaps.

He had stepped away brusquely, and growled back that dinner would be served at seven, before leaving the room.

How was I supposed to even get there with a broken leg? And where _was_ dinner? And how was I supposed to know when seven o clock was?

There was no clock anywhere in the room. And I _was_ becoming hungry.

However, the time alone did me good as I tried to wrap my head around the events of the day.

I had set out this morning in search of the Beast- to kill it- and disappear. I was going to resurface, pretending to be an heiress… I still had to work on that story. And perhaps even marry… my body had shown signs of late that perhaps I wasn't so hopeless as I thought, that I could one day become a mother. And I knew that didn't guarantee anything. It didn't mean Gaston would take an interest in me now, but even if it wasn't with him, I could one day hope for love and a family.

But first, I had to get out of this cursed place. I didn't believe the Beast for one second that no one ever left this place. What he did with the victims who wandered in here, I didn't know. But at least, he didn't seem interested in killing me, at least so far. He certainly had had the chance to do it.

After the oddities I had seen in the land so far though, I couldn't say a cursed castle was such a surprise, as it might have been a few months ago. There was nothing natural about the country itself either, and whether it had something to do with the monster who lived here was something to consider. Could he have gotten the country cursed along with him? It certainly added up. Or could he have cursed it himself?

And it made sense how the Beast had been rumored to have been wandering the land for the same amount of time as the royal family had disappeared. Had he killed them all, and taken over the castle?

I shuddered to think of it, or what it could do to me.

That he couldn't die, I did believe. It was the only explanation for his being able to survive my sword through his chest, and for how long he had been terrorizing the land. No animal I knew of could live so long and none could think or talk, though sometimes I thought Baldur could think- he was certainly a clever animal.

So where had he come from? And what did he want?

Did he plan to feed me till I was thick enough to be a desirable dinner? Or did he mean to keep me as his prisoner? He certainly didn't want me to try to escape. But he couldn't honestly think I'd take his word for it, and just resign myself to live here for the rest of my days?

And Baldur was still out there. I had to go find him as soon as I could… but I couldn't walk, and so I wouldn't be able to go looking for him through the forest for some weeks.

Perhaps I should go along with the ruse the Beast expected me to follow, and then he might help me look for him. He might even think Baldur could make a nice meal, too and search for him. Then I'd make my escape in the night once I had my trusty steed, and my belongings with all the coins the King had bestowed on me.

In the meantime, however, I should try to remain in the good graces of this monster. As much as I'd like to kill him, I knew better than to try again.

No, I had to think, rather than punch my way out of this one.

By the look of the light outside, it would be night soon.

The Beast would expect me to come for dinner, but how? I didn't know the first thing about how to get around the castle.

Perhaps I could search a bit hopping softly on my good leg? It was my best chance.

I had made my way a few steps before I walked in front of the long mirror in the corner.

My clothes were dirty from the fight, and there were blood stains on my shirt from where his claws had dug into me before throwing me off. And I was barefoot. This wasn't a good look.

And even though I didn't know much about this Beast, in the books I had read before the war, these sort of monsters always had a soft spot for a pretty girl.

Not that I looked like one at the moment. If it weren't for my long hair running down my back, I might pass off for Bellamy right now.

If I could just entertain him long enough, he might not hurt me. If I looked like a damsel, rather than a warrior, he might slowly take pity on me, instead of seeing me like a danger or nuisance.

I looked around, and a few steps over, I could see a basin with water. While it was no bath, it would be enough to wash at least my face and hands.

Now, if only I could find some other clothes…

There was a chest by the feet of the bed and I took a chance on it.

After opening the top of it, I was pleased to see some dresses folded inside it. They were extremely old-fashioned, like centuries old.

It seemed perverse to wear these clothes that might have once belonged to a princess murdered by the very Beast whose graces I was trying to stay on. But I had to do my best to survive. And at the moment, this seemed my best chance.

I took out a soft pink one, the least threatening color in the closet, and examined it. While the bottom of the skirt seemed worn out and the color was a little faded, it would work. The others all had the similar faults, anyways.

If I could find the proper undergarments for it… I had no time.

I stepped into it and pulled it up, putting my arms through the long thin sleeves. I was surprised by the sight of me, in a dress, even if it was an old and battered one. It was like looking into a mirror that showed you the past… it had been so long that I hadn't seen myself look like a girl, that it brought on a wave of nostalgia, taking me back to the times when I still had a father and life was less complicated.

I dried a tear that had dared to fall down my cheek. I didn't want to cry, not again. I'd done too much of it in my life already, to the point I was sick of the feeling.

I took a deep breath in, and tried to reach the buttons behind my back.

It brought pain, as it shifted the recent cuts on my shoulders. And the higher I went, the more I felt the skin threaten to gash open and begin bleeding again. But I was halfway up. I had made it this far, I might as well finish it.

I felt some wetness on my back, as I finished the last three buttons, but I couldn't care at this point. I could stand the pain, and I could let my hair down to cover the stains.

I turned back to make sure I hadn't missed any buttons, as I saw the red spots appear on the faded cloth.

I turned again, and was surprised and pleased to see my chest filled the dress nicely, even without a corset to wear. If my fourteen-year-old self could see me now.

I undid my braid and let the hair tumble down my back, admiring the pretty waves that came from having your hair braided all day.

My neck, however, looked empty and I wished so badly that Baldur were here, and I could retrieve my mother's locket to wear it.

I was far from looking like a beauty, but it was a better sight than before. At least, my face looked clean, and I was wearing girl clothes, even if some the punctures from the claws were peeking out of the sides of the neck of the dress.

Well, it was the best I could do.

The sound of the doors slamming open startled me, and I turned quickly to see the Beast burst in.

"Did I not specify that dinner was to be served at 7?" he roared as he threw the doors open.

In the back of my head, I knew the plan was _not_ to be aggressive, but to appeal to his compassion by playing the damsel, but I had been pretending to be a man, acting like one, for too long. And to be in the war, changed you. You had to step on people, or you were stepped on. And that didn't fade easily.

And I reacted before I could think of the consequences.

"Are all Beasts of your kind supposed to be this dense?! Or did you actually imagine that I could make my way there, on one leg, _and_ not knowing how to get around this crumbling pile of rocks?!" I said, hopping forcefully to where he stood, and picking up my dress to show the purpling leg.

He looked down on me, his top lip curling to show his fearsome fangs, while I realized my mistake- that he could devour me in a second if he wished it.

But then he retracted his large head from where it was towering over me, and let out a loud grunt.

It looked as if… he'd actually just realized that same truth. He looked to the side and huffed.

And before I knew it, he put his claw on my lower back, pulled me forward and up, and thrown my torso against his shoulder.

And with one swift motion, he was out of the room and carrying me down the dark and dusty hall.

"Put me down, you Beast!" I barked at him, as I dug my elbows with all my force into his upper back.

"Ow!" he growled and dropped me to the ground. I landed on my good foot, as the breath left my body from the unexpected fall. "Would you rather starve, then?!" he sneered at me, as a low growl vibrated from his throat, his face coming down to mine threateningly.

I held my chin up, not shying away one inch, even as his warm breath washed over my face.

"You could have said that's what you were doing, then! What's the point of you talking, if you're going to act fully like a brute animal?" I jeered back, as I tried to remain balanced and hold my place while on one foot.

I acted unmoved, even if I was relieved to know all he had meant to do was to take me to wherever I was meant to eat.

"Maybe I _should_ eat you…" he threatened, but something in his eyes told me he was bluffing. I couldn't tell what it was, but he looked unsettled by my unwavering gaze.

"Do it, you _Beast_ …" I glared back at him, as I saw his eyes human-like eyes waver with conflict.

"You'd better stop that" he said turning his head slightly and menacingly.

"Isn't that what you are? Who you told me you were?" I taunted, my eyes narrowing at him.

He huffed, as he retracted his form once again, as if he had been bested. I raised my forehead as high as it would go, to show I wasn't going to stand down and that I owned my victory over him.

"I've been dealing with worse beasts than you my whole life, and if you think for one moment…" I began, but no sooner had I lifted my finger towards him, than he had unceremoniously lifted me off the ground and thrown me over his shoulder again, and begun walking down the hall.

I opened my mouth to protest but my stomach growled with hunger, and I decided best not to say anything else, and keep provoking him. I was hungry, and I didn't know how far I could push my luck, if my tongue kept getting the better of me.

I heard his chest rumble with a low laughter that sent my skin crawling with rage. But I bit my tongue to keep from slashing at him again.

I really needed to control my anger, if I was going to get on his good graces, so he could find Baldur for me, and I could escape from this cursed place.

So I tried to remain calm, as he carried me down halls and staircases to what I supposed was dinner.

Hopefully, I wasn't going to be the main course.

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 **A/N: Thank you for reading! (: Let me know your thoughts!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to all who are reading (: I appreciate it so much. I'm really enjoying taking this story into a dark twist and it's so nice to see others are enjoying it as well.**

 **Chapter 6**

The steam from the soup in front of me rose slowly, as I watched the Beast out of the corner of my eye.

There were two plate settings, one on each end of the long rectangular table, but his chair was empty.

The dining room looked much like what I'd seen from the castle before- it was grand and ostentatiously decorated- even if it looked ancient, dusty and abandoned. Dry leaves rested all around the floor where it met the walls. Cobwebs stretched from every corner into the furniture, the walls, the ceiling and even the floor.

A chill was permanently settled in the room and streaks of light stole in from shattered windows high in the room. There were large candelabras on the table with light coming from them, and illuminating the banquet in front of us.

Where had all this food come from? The only thing I could relate it to where the festivities from the palace where my king had celebrated the returning heroes from the war with extravagant amounts of food and decadent varieties of dishes for all to bask in till you could eat no more. But all it made me remember where how we had starved in the battlefields, and before that, when I was hungry and alone after my father's death.

However, the scent of the delicacies surrounding me had won over my starved stomach.

Today was similar. The scent of onion floating from the golden liquid in front of me was intoxicating, but the piercing eyes of the Beast, as it stared at me, twisted my stomach into a knot.

It angered me that he managed to unnerve me so. I, who took pride in my bravery and accomplishments in the war, was being brought to shivers and shakings at the presence of this pathetic monster?

No.

I lifted my spoon and brought it full towards my mouth, relishing in the warmth of it and the delicious taste. I took another, and another, while he continued to stare.

"I…" it began, startling me, and making me spill some of the contents of my spoon. I set my spoon down as calmly as I could manage, decided to not let him see how he affected my composure. "I would like to apologize… for the markings on your person" it said, physically struggling to say the words.

I looked down at my shoulders and saw the markings he meant. They were peeking out of my dress since I'd pushed my hair back to eat, having forgotten my plan to cover them.

"I have worse" I said thinking of all the cuts and marks I had from the war. That was one of the hardest things I'd have to explain to my future husband. So far, I hadn't been able to come up with a good reason why a rich heiress would be covered in battle scars.

"Of course, you did start it" he said grumpily.

"Excuse me?" I asked, offended but trying to keep my temper in check.

"You attacked me first" he said as if it was obvious what he meant.

"That can hardly be surprising" I said, feeling the heat rise up within me. "Do many people wave and bow to you when they encounter you?" I asked sarcastically. He narrowed his unsettling blue eyes at me. "I had my reasons to do so" I started up again at his lack of audible response. "Many had searched you out, and not lived to tell the tale" I added defensively.

"And if you knew my reputation, why would you seek out the monstrous beast you'd heard such horrors about?" he asked growling. "Why would a girl venture into such a surely deadly enterprise?" he added coming closer.

"You'd better watch your snout, Beast. The last time someone said something of that sort, he almost died at my sword" I said menacingly.

"It is fortunate, then, that I can't die" he said getting close enough for his beastly teeth to be visible as he spoke. After a moment of silence, and my heavy staring right back at him, he turned around and began to walk back to where he was standing before. "You are a girl, aren't you? Why would mentioning that fact be worthy of death?" he asked curiously, with his back to me.

"I am" I said proudly. "I just hate it when girls are talked about as if we are weak. We may not have the same physical strength as men or _beasts_ , but…" I said but was interrupted.

"Point clear" he said raising a paw to silence me. "I should have guessed" he added.

"Guessed what?" I asked, not enjoying the implication that he already knew what I was going to say.

"You were wearing an armor when I first encountered you, and you were obviously seeking me out to kill me… you don't appreciate being a girl, then?" he asked still turned away from me.

"Wrong again. I _am_ girl, and I love being one. But I'm _not_ weak! Or at the mercy of men! I take things into my own hands, and make my own future. And it's not just talk. I would have killed you, too, had you not been some unnatural Beast without mortality" I replied harshly then breathed out. My plan was not going well. I was not making this Beast anymore attached to me than I was to Monsieur Dubois. If anything, I seemed to driving it straight to kill me.

He seemed to be in contemplation, then turned halfway to meet my eyes.

"Fair enough" he said lowly and softly. "What is your name then?" he asked after a pause.

"Bellam… Belle" I said, correcting myself from years of not calling myself my own name.

"That's French for beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, looking away as if trying to focus on something across the dark room.

"It is" I answered calmly, becoming uncomfortable at the question. It brought back memories of bad times. "My mother chose it before she died shortly after childbirth" I added as I always had, whenever people brought up the meaning of my name. I always felt as if I had to justify such a peculiar name that often raised eyebrows. I wondered if people thought I'd chosen it myself out of vanity.

"It… fits" he replied, clearing his throat. I looked down to my skirt in abashment, but was cheered up by the fact somehow, he had seen past my foul temper and sour personality. That was the plan, after all, if I wanted to live long enough to escape.

"Thank you" I replied softly, remembering Baldur who was still out there in those dark woods. "My horse, Baldur, have you seen him?" I asked lifting my chin again, and looking to him.

"Accept that he is probably dead. I'm not the only frightening thing out there" it said matter-of-factly.

"No, I won't. And if you won't help me find him, then I'll go out for him myself" I said choking up at what he had suggested.

"I never said that" he replied quickly.

"Will you look for him, then?" I begged, as I stood up from my chair. He was all I truly loved on this earth. I could not lose him.

"I'll search near the castle grounds tomorrow, but I can't promise anything" it said gruffly.

Those words were heaven to me. As much as I hated to depend on this monster, any other options were non-existent at the time.

"Thank you…" I replied, but stopped before calling him Beast, again. Surely, that wasn't his name. "What's your name?" I asked. Perhaps it would even shed some light on where he came from.

He turned to face me fully, his eyes searching mine.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

"I would like to know what I can call you" I said, my interest peaked. Was he the kind of monster who could only be defeated by saying its name? I could work with that.

"You've been calling me Beast. It's what I am. It'll do" he said, and looked to my plate of soup that I realized was still steaming. How was it possible? "Go on, eat" he said motioning towards the table.

"Aren't you going to eat, too?" I asked looking to his place across the table, but my mind was still reeling on the fact that he was hesitant to share his name with me.

His eyes searched my face and I made a point to keep it as pleasant as I could.

"No. Now stop talking and finish eating, so I can take you back to your room" he growled and walked to the far end of the large chamber.

I went back to my strangely warm soup and finished it before sampling some of the other plates on the table, as I tried to think of what it could all mean, and how this knowledge could help me.

But as I sat there, I caught another glimpse at my shoulders. The cuts looked inflamed and the skin was lifting. That wasn't a good sign. If infection settled… I could die. I'd seen it happen to many wounded soldiers during the war.

I thought of the castle, and how it surely once upon a time had a healer who resided in it. He would have the herbs I needed to cure me before worse things occurred. But surely, after so long, there would be no remnants of any of it.

And how likely was the Beast to go out to search for the herbs, or even know what to look for? Not likely at all.

But I had to get my hands on some medicinal herbs, or I may indeed spend the rest of my limited days in this cursed castle.

"Would you…" I began to ask but stopped. I was about to ask another favor when I hadn't been very nice at all the entire time I'd been here.

"Would I, what?" he asked from across the dining room.

Well, he'd heard me already…

"I need some herbs… for my wounds. I'm afraid infection is setting in" I said as delicately as I knew.

"What can I do?" he asked, seemingly concerned.

"I don't know… I may be able to find them, but I can't walk" I sighed.

He looked me over suspiciously.

"I wouldn't know what to look for" he said slowly.

"What if I drew you a picture?" I asked.

"I could try" he answered.

"Thank you" I said, once again, noting how many times I'd said that to the Beast today. More times than I would have imagined, I realized.

That thought made the knowledge that I'd be soon sleeping my first night here to seem less daunting.

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 **Thank you all, once again for reading The Heroine and The Beast (: Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I sat up panting, as I tried to recognize my strange surroundings. My heart was beating hard inside my chest, like a caged bird who had been scared half-to-death.

I realized I was in the Beast's castle. And my nightmare had been just that- a nightmare. Monsieur Dubois was far away, and would never get a chance to hurt me- ever again.

I tried to repeat that fact in my head to help my poor heart go back to a normal rate, but it wasn't working much. I felt the tears rising up to my eyes and threatening to spill, and I took a deep breath. I wasn't going to let them come out. I wasn't going to cry over this stupid nightmare again.

I took another deep breath, but the tears fell over anyways.

"I am Belle…. My name is Belle. I am my father's daughter" I said breathlessly, as my chest heaved up and down. "I am brave, and I am so strong. And I can overcome… anything" I said, pushing the last word out. I felt like a hypocrite. I could say it to myself over and over again. Nothing made the nightmare go away. It didn't matter if I was brave or strong. I _couldn't_ overcome anything.

I couldn't overcome _this_.

I wiped my wet cheeks, and looked around the dark empty room the Beast had placed me back in.

The light from the moon was stealing in through the curtains, and I stepped off the bed carefully to go see it.

In a few careful hops, I was by the balcony, opening the glass door and pushing it out.

The floor outside was even colder than inside, and the breeze ran through me and into my nostrils. The coolness of it brought me calm, unlike any I had ever acquired so soon after my nightly horrid dream.

It was relief to feel my heartbeat slow down, and my breath become more tranquil.

I closed my eyes, and felt the wind hitting my face and smiled.

What must it have been like to be the princess who lived in this room? Surrounded by comforts and wanting nothing, never suffering from anything.

But then I remembered. She hadn't been so lucky after all.

I looked behind me, and saw the wind blow the curtains into the pitch-black darkness of the room, swallowing them like a wolf's mouth.

I gasped at the thought, and hopped back to bed before my imagination made me see any other sights that weren't there.

I wasn't so afraid of the Beast, though. I was now more afraid of the enchanted castle I was sleeping in.

He had said it was cursed, and I thought it had been part of his scheme to scare me. But it was confirmed to me when he brought me back to my room after dinner, and there was a large tub sitting in the room with steam rising from its warm water.

"What is this?" I'd asked him as he set me down.

He shrugged, and assured me he didn't know. And that the castle was enchanted, and did strange things at whim.

I had felt my skin crawl at the idea that things could happen out of nowhere and without explanation.

He seemed unbothered by it, and left me alone without another word.

I had swallowed deeply as I considered what to do next.

But the water had seemed so inviting, and I did feel so dirty.

I couldn't resist, and so I shed the dress off, and was in the water within moments.

The warm bath embraced me as I sighed in pleasure.

It felt wonderful to sit in it, and watch the grime and dried blood lift off me.

I stayed in it for as long as it remained warm, which was not long enough for me. I would have stayed in it for hours. Which made me wonder why the soup had stayed warm, and the bath hadn't.

Once I was out, I had found a sleeping gown among the dresses, and slipped it on and fallen asleep within minutes.

And now I lay trying to fall back asleep, trying to reconcile that I was sleeping in a bed in an enchanted or cursed- depending on how you looked at it- castle, with only a Beast as a companion, who didn't seem to be as horrendous as his appearance might suggest.

He had brought me back to the safety of his castle, brought me to a wonderful dinner, and had said he'd look for Baldur and the herbs I needed.

My cautious mind reminded me it was more likely that I wasn't aware of his true plan, but there was something about him… some pain he carried, or weight that dragged him down.

And then there were his eyes… there was something about them, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it inspired trust within me.

In any case, there wasn't much I could do in my present circumstances. I was heavily injured and could not do without him. And he was providing the help I needed, even after I had tried to kill him.

I couldn't believe I was feeling sorry for the Beast.

Perhaps he _had_ thought me pretty, and warmed up to me even though I had been so horrid this far. He was so lonely, after all.

It was in those pleasant thoughts that all remainder of my nightmare faded to the back of my mind, and I was able to fall back asleep.

I even slept deep into the morning to my own surprise. My body had been conditioned from the years in the war to rise with the sun.

But somehow, when I opened my eyes next, the light that was flooding the room was coming from a sun that had been up for some hours already.

But rather than feeling rested and warmed by the sunlight, I felt awfully cold and my head was hurting violently.

I tried to rise out of bed, but it felt so warm to be in it…

I finally did, but brought some of the covers around me as I walked to the balcony again, and was met with a sight that brought a smile to my face, regardless of the pounding pain in my head.

There was Baldur walking at the hand of the Beast towards the castle.

"Baldur!" I cried out, as I waved my hand to try to catch his attention.

His head lifted, and he snorted happily as he saw me.

I felt cold again, as the cover fell from one of my shoulders, while I waved him down, and so I quickly grabbed it again and brought it around me, but not before the Beast had seen me and given me a frowning look before he looked down again.

I realized I was only in my nightgown. Did beasts care about that sort of thing? He could have hardly seen anything, as my hair was falling all over my front, and the cover of the bed was mostly around me.

I wanted to run to Baldur, but I knew I couldn't. So I hopped back to the room and pushed open the chest from where I'd taken a dress before.

But I was shocked to see none of the old, tattered dresses that were there the day before. There were new dresses in their place, in beautiful fabrics, and looked unworn. Had the Beast brought them, or were they like the tub of warm water- a provision of the castle?

I didn't care at the moment. I just wanted to go see Baldur again. I grabbed the first, a deep turquoise one, and was in it faster than yesterday. Even as my wounds hurt still, I was too ecstatic that Baldur was safe, and back to me.

I heard loud knocking at my door, and I called out for him to come inside.

He opened the door slowly, with his shoulders hunched over, and his eyes on the floor. He motioned with his paw towards the hall.

"I found your horse. I came for you, if you would like to see him" he said with a shrug.

"Yes, please" I said shamefully, as I thought of how kind he had been, and how awful I'd acted. Whatever his plan with me was, he had brought Baldur back to me safe and sound, at least for now.

He came towards me without meeting my eyes, and made to lift me, when I placed my hand on his large clothed chest, and stopped him.

"Thank you" I said earnestly, as I looked into his eyes that were still avoiding mine. I was so unused to kindness, that it felt awkward and odd to express my gratefulness.

He looked into my eyes for a second, before he simply took me in his paws and lifted me off the ground, placing me on his shoulder gentler than ever before.

"You're burning up" he said in his growly deep voice, as he held me against him and walked us out of the room and into the hall.

"I am? No wonder I am so cold" I said, as I shivered.

He hmphed as he took long steps down the hall. In the morning light, the castle looked less sinister, even if it still was in ruins.

We seemed to be going in a different direction than the night before, and it was confirmed to me when we stepped into a large chamber that seemed to be several stories high. The most notorious part of it was the creek that was running down the middle, coming in from one end and running to the other. I had only ever been in one other castle before- King Rudolph's- and there was nothing like this in his.

"Why is there a creek running through your castle?" I asked groggily as my headache blurred my vision.

"When the curse took over, it just appeared" he answered. When the curse took over? What did that mean? Had he been here when it happened? Had he been cursed along with it? Had he not cursed it himself then?

I didn't know if I could ask more, and I was even less sure that I could believe what he was saying. He had been kind so far, for a beast at least, but I couldn't trust him completely. There was still something in the back of my head that told me I shouldn't. People disappeared when they came into contact with him for a reason.

I couldn't ignore that.

"He was wandering not too far off. Your things seem to still be on him" he said as he set me down on the floor close to Baldur.

"Baldur, darling. I'm so glad you're safe" I said, as I caressed his nose and held his face next to mine. A smile spread on my lips at the feeling of his fur next to my cheek.

Next, I went to the saddlebag, and checked it to see my belongings were still in there along with my funds and my mother's pendant.

I pulled it out and clasped it around my neck, as I felt the rose rest on my chest and felt an immediate comfort surround me at the cool feel of the gold chain on my skin.

"I'm glad the castle provided some new clothing for you" the Beast said interrupting my moment. "It was disturbing to see you in my sister's clothes".

I was stunned into silence at his comment.

"Oh" I said, as I wondered how to interpret that. What had he meant his 'sister's clothes'?

"We need to get you your herbs soon, or you may fall into a deeper fever and never wake up" he said after a short moment of silence. "Can you ride Baldur, and come along to help me identify them?" he asked.

"I think so" I answered. "But let's go slow. He's been wearing that saddle on him all day yesterday and all night" I said caressing Baldur, and feeling for how tired he must be.

Before I knew it, the Beast's paws were around my waist, and lifting me up and sitting me sideways on Baldur.

He then grabbed the reins and began leading him into the forest.

"What are we looking for?" he asked, as he stepped slowly into the trees.

I tried describing to him the kind of herbs I remembered our healer using for the soldiers, but then I felt a faintness come over me mid-sentence.

I held on to the saddle, until I felt balanced again, and opened my eyes to see the Beast frowning at me.

"I don't know if it's such a good idea for you to come with me after all" he said.

"We might find them faster this way" I said, as I took a deep breath to stabilize me. But I felt slight palpitations beneath the cuts, and saw the skin lifting, and becoming red and tight. It was not a good sign. And neither was the fever and the headache.

We explored for a few hours, but the Beast would not wander too far from the castle. It was never out of sight.

We managed to find two out of the three, and he decided it was enough, as I was in no shape to be out in the sun for a more prolonged amount of time. And I was feeling too faint to argue, and so I let him lead me back to the castle as I struggled to remain awake, and sitting on Baldur's back.

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 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon! Do let me know your thoughts on the chapter… any feedback is highly appreciated.**

 **Thank you so much!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The large feet belonging to Beast thumped on the stone steps, sending echoes of it through the castle, as he carries me down to the kitchens to prepare the herbs for my wounds. And it comes to my attention that his fur isn't as rough as you would think. It isn't soft either, but it has that comfortable quality that I relate to the nights spent sleeping near Baldur for warmth, when the nights were barbaric, and even the fire was not enough to keep me from shivering incessantly under the unforgiving slashing of the winter winds.

And like Baldur, he is warm, and even kind. I can feel how his hold on me softens, and slowly I come down from being held above his shoulder to almost being carried like a child in his frontal extremities. And I _am_ like a child in comparison to him. Not only in size but in years, also.

I think of his comment about the dress I'd worn the night before, that it had been his sister's. Though I'd never admit I was starting to believe him, if he had had a human sister once, then he must not always have been a Beast. But where was she? And how did he end up being cursed? What terrible deed had he committed to be damned to be a lonesome beast for all eternity?

I died to ask, this and many other questions, but I was afraid to let on I was beginning to believe him.

He sat me down on the rough surface of an old squeaky table, which had to have been deteriorating for years standing in one spot, as the nights and days passed over it incessantly, until it became less and less stable, less strong, like everything in this castle. Well, like everything except for the Beast. I didn't know how a cursed creature was meant to age but he didn't seem like he was the over two centuries old that he was rumored to be. Perhaps that was part of the curse- to watch everything come to its end, while he remained frozen in time, unable to move on, or to put an end to his misery, unable to find rest, not even in death. It seemed like such a horrible fate to suffer.

I watched him search all over the ancient room, as full of spider webs and dead foliage as the dining room had been. Curiously, I didn't remember my room sporting that kind of décor. I couldn't help but wonder at it, as I often wondered about many things since arriving here.

I saw him retrieve a stone mortar and pestle, and bring it over to the table. He picked up the herbs and was looking at them as he compared their size to the size of the mortar.

"Allow me" I said softly as I saw his face constrict in confusion. It wasn't hard to deduce he had never had to use these items before.

I took the plants and broke them in my hands into small enough portions as could be fitted inside the mortar, and began grinding them together, even as I felt my forehead heat up with the fever, and sweat form on my brow.

It wasn't too long before they had been crushed into a paste, and it was ready to be administered.

"I should probably be lying down for this" I observed to the silent Beast as I hoped he would catch my meaning and take me up to the room.

Within moments, he had slipped one of his frontal extremities beneath my knees, and the other around my back, and was comfortably carrying me up the stairs, and to what I now realized was a tower where my room was located.

Seeing the light steal in through the crumbling stones that held the castle together brought me a peace that resembled what one might feel in a holy place, untouched and unadulterated, and it some ways this castle was like that. It had had no human occupants for many years, hadn't seen a ball, a coronation, nothing but the sad wanderings of a Beast.

The heavy door loudly dragged against the stone floor as he pushed it open with one shoulder, and I realized I'd never had to open it myself to this day. And while I wasn't weak by no means, I didn't have the strength or muscle that could be compared to the Beast. Would I be able to push it open if he didn't wish me to? That was something I needed to test.

While this didn't feel like a prison in its most generic sense, in some ways it was. It was for him, for what Beast could hope to come into society or participate in anything that could resemble normal human endeavors? And it might prove to be prison for me- if I didn't recover and never left, if I couldn't even leave this room, or if he was right and it was impossible to leave. Any of those possibilities were disturbingly terrifying.

He laid me on the bed with gentleness, and took the mortar and pestle from me.

"I hope these can help you recover" he said with a small nod, and made to turn around. Was he leaving?

"Wait!" I called out, and… did he roll his eyes?

I was taken aback by the reaction.

I hesitated to continue.

"What is it?" he asked turning to look at me.

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again.

I wasn't sure I wanted to ask that question anymore.

"Nothing. Thank you for your help today" I said opting to show some gratitude instead.

"It was… a privilege to help" he said frowning, and I wanted to smile. He looked like some schooled little boy who spoke that way out of being told to do it so much that they couldn't stray from it ever. "Did you need anything else?" he asked, but he looked to be doing it mostly out of obligation, rather than actual desire to continue assisting me.

"Is there something you need to get to?" I asked. I couldn't imagine what could be making him want to get away so bad, when he had been so kind all day.

"I do, but I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed before I left" he spoke.

"I do need something sharp to reopen the wounds" I said, trying not to flinch as I imagined the pain I would have to endure opening them again, and this time with infection underneath. I saw his confused face, and remembered he wouldn't know anything about any of this, with his body being immune to harm.

"I can open them" he said showing his claws, and I shuddered. My fever must have been getting worse.

I simply nodded and turned around, facing down on the bed.

I closed my eyes and spoke.

"There are some in my back, too" I said, moving my hair out of the way.

I heard him huff loudly then approach.

"Is this going to become a daily affair?" he asked, as I heard him kneel by the bed.

I couldn't help but scoff with laughter at his comment. He did have a point. Only yesterday he had had to reset my foot, causing me great pain, to help me get better. And today he had reopen my wounds.

If he was upset I'd laughed at his unintentionally funny comment, I couldn't see it, as my head was turned away as I laid down, to avoid seeing when he would act, and he didn't say anything else afterwards.

I felt him tentatively search under the borders of my dress for the complete extent of the cuts. Then I felt his sharp claw press against one of the cuts as I compressed my lips against the bed to keep my wails from forming.

I felt wetness release from the first one, and spread on my skin.

"You have to let it all drain, then collect it with a cloth before the herbs can be applied" I said, my voice shaky, as my flesh stung from the opened wound. "You can rip some of the skirt for that purpose if you wish. The dress is likely ruined anyhow" I added.

I heard his body move over to the feet of the bed, then the ripping of the material as it came apart under his claws.

After cleaning all the suppuration, I felt the relieving cooling of the herb paste, as he applied it along the cut.

I felt him repeat the process over and over, until all of my back had been cured, and my eyes were moist against the bed coverings.

"Your back is finished. Should we move to the front?" he asked as I tried to compose myself.

"One moment. Just lay some clean cloth against the cuts so the remedy doesn't move away before I turn over" I instructed him and he proceeded to do so.

In a few moments, I had carefully shifted over and was laying on my back expectantly.

I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes, as I prepared for the coming torment.

Before I expected it, his claw had ripped open a wound, and I heaved out with a wail I didn't have time to hold in.

I felt his now expert paws clean up as best as he could the liquid that had exploded out of the incision, but some slipped beneath the cleavage of my dress.

"Don't worry about it" I said before he even had to wonder what he could do.

One by one, he cared for the lesser amount of wounds in the front, and by the end of it, I felt sure I had some silent tears running down the sides of my head and into my hair.

But the relief of the remedy against my sore skin was all worth it.

"Thank you for taking such care of me" I said emotionally, a way I rarely ever spoke in, but so thankful to have had his assistance once again.

"My pleasure… I mean, not that you're hurt… but, my pleasure that I could help… being that you were… hurt" he finished, frowning and walking away.

I chuckled lightly, and looked after him as he shook his head, nearing the door.

"I'll be back later, when it's time for dinner" he said as he pulled the door open.

"No, please" I said quickly. "I would rather rest" I added as he gave me his attention.

"As you wish" he said, and left the room.

I felt the drowsiness that had been threatening to take over all day long finally seize hold of my consciousness, and I fell into a troubled sleep, not really dreaming of anything, but not at peace either.

I woke up some hours later, feeling better than I'd felt all day, but regretting bitterly having declined dinner, as my stomach rumbled loudly.

Just then, it occurred to me that I hadn't eaten anything all day, or even drank anything. And my parched throat was a stark reminder of it.

I certainly didn't remember where the dining room had been, but the creek running through the castle I thought I could find again. It had been to the right and at end of the stairs, if I wasn't mistaken.

I tried sitting up slowly but my head felt heavy, and the motion made me dizzy. Once I had let the wooziness fade away, I set my good foot on the ground and stood on it.

It would be a hard task to get around on my own. The stairs especially would be challenging. But my body demanded to be hydrated, and I knew it was important if I wanted to recover.

I looked around in search of something I might use as a walking stick, but saw nothing. My sword still laid on the small table by the exit to the balcony, but I couldn't compromise its sharpness by resting my weight on its point.

Perhaps if I stayed near a wall at all times, I could continually rest against it for support.

I hopped to the edge of the room, and slowly made my way to the door.

I had imagined it to be heavy, and heavy it was, indeed.

It took me several minutes to push it open, as it resisted against the stone floor, and I suspected I may have made wound or two bleed again in the process. Damn it to hell!

I was already sweating by the time I had made it out to the hallway, and my breathing was shallow, as my chest heaved to keep up with the demand of the exercise.

I took one hop, then another, and then another, till I was finally at the stairs. But my body was weak from a whole day without any sustenance, and I guessed also from the fever still.

I took a seat on the highest step and rested my shoulder against the wall lightly as I tried to catch my breath again.

Just then I took a look at myself, and realized my dress was bloody and ripped up to my knees. I was a scary sight to behold.

Then again, I had looked much worse before.

I stood up again, and tried to hop down a step, and almost missed it. My heart jumped at the close fall, and my hands reached for the cold stone wall.

I needed to be more careful if I didn't want to break my other foot as well.

I took a seat again, and by extending my good foot down two steps, I lifted my bottom and placed it down one step below. It took a painstaking long time to reach the bottom, forever more like, but eventually I had made it down the tower this way.

I looked to the windows that led outside from the large room I was in, and saw the orange glow of sunset bathe the surfaces it touched in a heavenly gleam.

I smiled at the beauty that such a horrid place could hold, and let the sound of the creek tickle my ears as I felt relief wash over me.

There were hardly words to describe the satisfaction of hearing running water after a long trench in search of it.

I stood up to get to it, when something to the left of me caught my eye.

I looked over instinctively and saw the back of the Beast as he kneeled by the bed of a rose plant that formed, along with others, a gorgeously overgrown garden of various colored roses, behind the glass wall of a greenhouse.

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 **A/N: That's it for this chapter, stay tuned to find out what happens next! (:**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The water feels heavenly as it drips down my chin, and neck, but also down my throat, refreshing my parched mouth, and relieving my thirst.

For a moment, I even forgot the Beast was only a few paces away.

I took my cupped hands and lifted some cool water to my face, to try and chill my feverish skin. Though my head felt clearer, it was obvious I was not yet out of the woods.

I took a peak to my left, watching the Beast as he stared at the highest rose bud, in one of the largest bushes in the greenhouse. Completely unaware of my presence, his eyes betrayed a melancholy I had only ever seen in the war when one of us lost a close friend. And though his features weren't human, his eyes had never looked less beastly. There was pain, deep-rooted pain, the kind that could no longer hurt you in any new ways, the kind that had become so constant for so long, that it felt like an old friend almost, a cruel and constant one. The kind that I recognized in my own frown whenever I stared at my face in a mirror, or in the clear reflection of a still body of water.

My mind searched for an answer, one that could make sense of it all. But the only thing I was sure about was that there was much I didn't know. And something made me think he wouldn't tell me if I were to interrupt such a private moment.

I stood up and began putting some distance between us, being overcome by a curiosity to see the rest of the castle- a curiosity that trumped my fear of getting lost in it, and the faintness I felt.

I went in another passageway that I hadn't gone into before. I opened every door, searched every room, most of which I did not understand the purpose of. The castle seemed to go on forever. Just when I thought I had covered it all, there was a new passageway, stair, or tower unsearched.

My good leg triumphed on, the pain of the constant hopping being pushed to the back of my mind by curiosity.

Though few rooms held anything of interest that had been preserved over the years, I did find a hall lined with pictures of royalty, the family whom I presumed had once ruled this land before the curse.

There were faces of all sorts, but most of them were plump and dressed extravagantly, to the point where I couldn't imagine it being in good taste at any point in the past.

One of the newest looking portraits showed a woman of fair complexion, holding a small baby, and a young boy of five or six standing by her side. The boy had his mother's eyes, a deep blue, soft and kind.

Next to it was one of a king, chin lifted as high as his neck would stretch, and wearing the most modern clothes of the gallery, even if they belonged two centuries ago. This must have been the last king.

Under it, was the painting of a young prince, resembling the one standing next to the queen, but in this occasion, he must have been very close to adulthood, though the shape of his face was still delicate and his frame thin. Next to it, was a portrait, more beautiful than the rest. There was a tall young princess, soft blond locks framing her soft face with pink lips and eyes looking down in sweet shyness, as she held a single red rose in her frail hands.

Was this the sister he spoke of? Was she the one who had doted on the overgrown rose garden that had put such a despairing look on the Beast?

The words "Her Serene Highness Princess Giselle" were carved into the golden frame.

My eyes flew back to the portrait with the young prince, and read the name "Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Vincent".

Vincent? Could that be _his_ name? Was I accepting the possibility the Beast had once been human? Perhaps, though I wasn't letting the eerily resemblance in the eyes completely convince me of it.

Still, I couldn't take my eyes away. I could drown in the blue of his soft and gentle eyes. And if I tried really hard, I thought I could remember seeing that look in the Beast before.

My heart ached to uncover the secrets in this castle, and if this curse could be lifted somehow.

I needed to leave, and I couldn't deny the dangers that the Beast had warned me of, or the fact that, as he had said, no one could ever leave.

He didn't seem to be actively stopping me, so was that part of the enchantment?

I didn't want to die here of old age, having known only a few years of happiness with father, the rest being horrible memories of war, and the largest part of my life being a lonely existence among the falling ruins of a forgotten kingdom.

My good leg was starting to ache, and I wondered if I could find my way back to my room now that I longed for rest.

I left the gallery with my chest aching with emptiness, and sorrow for the frail princess at the end of it, and wondering what her fate had been.

I crossed the door at the end to walk into a large library. My heart jumped at the sight of the walls covered in books.

I hadn't read a book in so long, not since before my father died, and our possessions were lost to pay his debts.

I ran my fingers down the spines of the closest row, the soft feel of the old and worn out leather, letting me know these books had once been read over and over.

But in comparison to most of the rooms I had seen today, the dust was minimal, and there were no cobwebs running down the walls covered in books.

Was this one of the ways the Beast passed his time? The Beast, or the Prince?

No, I couldn't think that way. I didn't know for sure, and I couldn't attach myself to the idea that he was one when I didn't know enough to make such an assumption.

I read the golden tittles on the spines till I found one that made my heart drop- Enchantments and Curses.

I pulled it out immediately and opened it, only to watch the first page slip out like a feather and land at my feet. As I tried to pick it up, I felt more pages fall out and my hand struggled to catch them all.

Before I could panic about losing some before finding out a way to break the curse, the sight of something large caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.

I gasped as I saw the Beast's eyes glued on me, a frown pushing down on the blue eyes I could no longer deny were identical to the prince's.

"Don't waste your time. It's a bore. I've read it back and forth countless times, there is nothing of use in it" he said as he came towards me and bent to pick up the pages, before walking over to the burning fire.

"No! Please!" I pleaded once I saw his intentions.

"What?" he asked with a laugh. "Do you think you will find something I haven't?" he asked with a mocking tone.

"Just let me try. If I'll be trapped here forever…" I said, and wished I could bite my tongue. I didn't want to let on that I believed him, just in case it was a trap.

He looked me in the eyes, pages in his hand, unmoving.

"So you've resigned yourself?" he asked in doubtful voice.

"No, I haven't. But… well, just in case" I pleaded once again, and saw his eyes soften towards me.

He walked back and handed the pages out to me.

I took them gently and tried to examine the blue of his eyes, the shape of them, to see if I could find any indication they were not the same as the prince's.

"Are you…?" I began to ask before I lost the courage.

"What?" he asked more roughly.

"Vincent?" I asked, trying not to flinch at his menacing figure.

He was quiet for a moment, and searched my eyes.

"I told you I was Beast" he said in a voice- rough and vulnerable at the same time.

"But what was your name before?" I asked as kindly as I could.

I could see his mind trying to decide in which manner to answer.

"I'll tell you if you tell me about your pendant" he finally answered.

I felt one side of my mouth pull up in a half smile, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Very well" I said, and took a seat on chair near the fire.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I kept looking back to the fire on the library fireplace. I would have expected it to have burnt out by now without anyone tending to it. I had to remind myself- enchanted castle- of course.

It had been hours since I had taken my place on the large chair by the fire. It smelt like him, like the Beast, but it wasn't a repulsive smell. There were places where the fabric had broken and let out its insides. But it was so worn out that it felt like the softest surface ever.

I had taken a chance, and told the Beast some of my past, in the interest of learning about his, but keeping some details and stories to myself. Some things I just didn't feel comfortable reliving. But I shared about the mother I had never met, whose pendant I wore, and of my father, and listening to him read to me when it snowed out, and we couldn't go out of the house, and of the hours dedicated to my learning to read. My father insisted that there was very little he could leave me with materially, but the gift of reading he could share with me, and it would be something no one could take away.

At first, the Beast had stood by the fireplace, looking intently as I told him my stories. His eyes were hungry, hanging unto every word my lips uttered as if he didn't want to miss a single one, as if this was the most stimulating conversation he had had in years. I guess it must have been, having been all alone for so long.

After a while, he had brought another chair from the library closer to mine, and took his place on it.

It occurred to me it was the first time he had sat down in my presence.

A calm came over me as I delighted in my fondest memories, and in finding such a receptive ear in the Beast.

I even forgot that I didn't trust him completely yet.

"Tell me more" he urged me after a long pause when I drifted off into my own thoughts as the death of my father came to mind.

I didn't want to talk about that, but it was all I could think about now. I felt my chest grow tight, and I looked down in an effort to hide the redness and wetness of my eyes. I rejoiced in the darkness of the room that provided even more privacy to my show of emotions.

While I had always been able to suppress them in the years before, they were refusing to be pushed down again. I couldn't tell if it had just become too much for too long, or if the prospect of spending the rest of my life here brought me this feeling of finality, like hiding it had no purpose or point anymore.

Or perhaps it was the fact that this was the first real conversation I'd had with someone who knew I was girl, and for once, it didn't matter if he saw me cry. He'd only chuck it to my feminine sensibilities, and I didn't care if it made him uncomfortable.

But I felt his gaze on me, unwavering and following my eyes.

I took a deep breath and looked up, deciding to be unashamed of my tears, and looked him right back with defiance, daring him to look away from my tear stained cheeks.

But the fur above his eyes had wrinkled, as his eyebrows came together and upwards, in an expression I hadn't seen on anyone in a very long time.

I could hardly name it.

Empathy.

I felt my own expression soften as my I saw his eyes glued on me, only compassion in them, though he could have no idea what I was thinking about.

I watched him softly get up and start walking towards me.

I put my good foot down from above the chair and got ready to stand up myself. What was he doing? My instincts told me to get ready to fight or flee, but my heart wanted to go out of my chest and towards this creature, the first one to have come closer rather than farther at a show of emotion since my father's departure.

I watched his paw pick up a large cloth from a nearby sofa and bring it towards me, offering it with outstretched paws, waiting for permission before coming any closer.

I nodded and watched as he laid it across my lap, then picked up the corner of it and brought it ever so slowly to left cheek, and then to my right, in a clumsy attempt to dry my tears.

I felt my heart ache at the gesture, ache acutely, for I had forgotten what it felt like for someone to be gentle with you, to take care of you, to look into your eyes and see themselves reflected back.

And I made a stupid, stupid decision in that moment.

I didn't care if this monster in front of me was a cursed prince, or not. I couldn't explain why, but I decided it would not be the worst thing in the world to be stuck with him for the time to come.

In fact, I felt lucky that of all the cursed castles in the world, I had come to his.

I looked into his blue eyes, and tried to tell him what I couldn't say with my words.

That I was grateful.

But I saw him crouch away and place himself in his chair.

"Tell me more" he asked again. "How do you know how to fight so well?"

"Ah" I replied feeling a smile at the thought of how confused he must have been when the armor around my face fell away and revealed my feminine features and long hair. "I was in the war. They trained me" I replied.

But then there was only more confusion in his features.

"Do they allow maidens to join the war efforts now?" he asked, his beastly voice denoting his strong disapproval of such a notion.

"No" I clarified. "That is much the same as it was before. I… blended in with the teenage boys and pretended to be a man for the duration of it" I added.

I saw his eyebrows go up and he couldn't hide his admiration then.

I felt my chest swell at finally being able to share with someone my pride in my achievements in spite of my being a girl.

"You could have died" he said after a few seconds.

"So did many other soldiers" I said, reminding him that that was what war was all about. You had to be ready to give your life.

"But they were…"

"Men, I know" I finished for him. "Their lives were just as valuable. And… I had no other choice. I was an orphan. It was either that, or marry a horrid, hideous man".

I saw his eyes drop to the floor. How many times had he used those words to refer to himself?

"Of course, I am referring to his inward person" I clarified more gently. "It had nothing to do with his outward appearance" I added.

I watched him nod, but I knew I had not convinced him.

He hated himself for what he was, and could not imagine how anyone else could not.

He had comforted me earlier, and I wished I hadn't hurt him in return.

I stood up on my good foot and carefully hopped to where he sat.

As I approached, his eyes lifted to mine in confusion and apprehension.

I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I knew I could not leave him feeling awful about himself, not when he already surely done that plenty without my help.

"What are you doing?" he asked me as I tried to sit at his feet. "You'll open your wounds" he added.

"Will you help me, then?" I asked in response.

He took my elbows in his paws and supported me as I descended unto the large rug below.

He hesitantly took a seat back in his place.

I then took his paw in my hands, noting how small they looked in comparison to his.

"You've been kinder to me, than… anyone, ever, really. If you think I would judge you based on your appearance now…" I began but remembered the way I had spoken to him yesterday. "I am sorry if I gave that impression before" I said with gulp, feeling ashamed to be putting myself so lowly before this… person? Beast? I didn't know anymore.

I felt my cheeks redden and become warm as I waited for a response.

It felt like hours before he spoke again.

"I am… I _was_ … a… person… a long time ago" he finally said, struggling to find the right words.

I nodded and tried to give him a kind smile.

"Vincent?" I asked for the second time that day.

He looked at me, and didn't reply at first.

"How… did you know?" he asked, rather than giving an affirmative answer.

"Your… eyes" I replied, finding myself to be the one struggling to speak now.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Yes… Vincent" he finally replied, the words leaving his lips as if he hadn't heard or uttered that name in years.

I guess he really hadn't.

"May I call you that?" I asked at the sight of his apprehension.

"I'm not… _him_ , anymore" he replied with some resistance to the suggestion.

"You aren't Beast" I replied, not holding back how I disapproved of that option.

He looked at me from the side of his eye, mildly surprised.

"Have you looked at me?" he asked, the self-loathing poisoning his words.

"I have. And I'll tell you right now, that I won't call you Beast" I said, feeling my blood begin to rush. I refused to support his hate.

"You're here by my kindness. I could have left you in the forest to die. You'll call me what I say you'll call me" he replied, beginning to match my tone of voice. Now, _this_ was more like our previous interactions. What had happened? We had been having such a pleasant time before.

What could make him hate the idea of his true name so much?

"Not him, anymore? Really? And you pretend for me to believe that? When you are acting _exactly_ like a spoiled prince would, used to getting his way and ordering people about" I exclaimed, and wished I wasn't sitting by his feet anymore, but rather was on more even ground.

As it stood, he was hovering over me even more than usual, as he sat on the chair, while I sat by him on the rug.

The position now felt extremely intimate, and made me feel uncomfortable at once.

He was stunned by my words, but I felt I could not stay quiet.

"You'll be surprised to know, I am not one of your subjects, and can do as I please, unless you plan to kill me, that is" I added daringly. Though he looked very much the same, I no longer felt intimidated by his beastly appearance, knowing who he really was.

He showed me his fangs in an attempt to intimidate me, accompanied by a low growl.

I used the chair to pull myself up as best as I could, not willing to sit by him anymore.

"I think you should know, I plan to break this curse. So you'd better start getting better with words if you plan to continue threatening others throughout the rest of your life. Can't really imagine growls are going to be effective when you're back to being a skinny blonde prince" I said with a self-satisfied smile, and hands on my hips.

I watched his expression struggle to remain angry. But another emotion was trying to surface.

He finally suppressed it, and got back in the verbal sparring match.

"You're a fool if you think you can break it. It's useless. But, everyone goes through that, so I best let you convince yourself of it, eventually" he said, getting up from the large chair, and standing on his hind legs.

"Everyone?" I asked suddenly forgetting what I had been planning to say next. "There have been others trapped here?" I demanded to know.

"I did say no one could escape. Where do you think the people who wander in here go?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me. "Though I'm sure you've been told I eat them, or something along those lines" he added curiously.

"Something along those lines, yes" I replied more calm now.

He made to leave, but I grabbed onto his fur and pulled him back, though my strength proved to be insufficient in comparison to his. He only stopped because he wished to.

"Have they all been trapped here, and died of old age?" I asked, my heart beginning to pulsate harder and harder.

"They have, all but me" he replied, sounding old and tired, and looking at me as if he could already see my corpse, cold and old, laid out and ready to be buried.

"Then, I have to try to break the curse, I have to try" I said desperately.

"You can't" he said, shaking his head. "There was no provision left to break it, no circumstance… the witch who cast it made sure of it. There was no lesson to be learned, no purpose for it, other than to cause eternal suffering on the firstborn of my father, the King. There was no explanation, either" he said tortured by the memory. "Just vengeance" he added with a shaky breath.

"If she was so angry with him, why take it out on you?" I asked, baffled by the information I had received.

"She didn't make it in time to catch my father alive. She was so angry… and I was the next best thing" he said with an empty huff.

I felt resignation start creeping into me, like a familiar poison I had learned to reject.

No, I would not give into it. I hadn't done it before, and I wasn't going to start now.

"There's always a way" I said, trying to think of what to say. "No enchantress is all powerful. She may not have told you what it is, but there is a way to break off this curse. I'll find it. I have the rest of my life, you know? I'll think of something. I always have" I said, resolute in my words.

He took one long look at me, and I could tell there was the smallest spark of hope in his eyes. It was tired, and almost burnt out, but it was there.

He took one deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh.

"If anyone has a shot… it must be the girl who went to war just to escape poverty and an undesired marriage" he finally added. I couldn't tell if he was sincere or sarcastic.

I smiled fully, feeling more hopeful than ever before. He didn't know me. But I did know I was capable of breaking off this curse. I didn't know how, yet. But I would.

"Will you help me?" I asked him.

"I'm all out of ideas, Belle" he said.

"You leave that part to me" I replied confidently, though I didn't have the smallest clue of where to start. "For now, you can help me get back to my room to change. I am getting quite hungry" I admitted.

"As you wish" he said, as he made to lift me off the ground. His paws were gentle, and his steps careful as he took me to my room.

I had no idea which way to go, but he knew this castle like the palm of his hand. I tried remembering which ways he turned, and what staircases he took, but after the fourth or fifth turn, I couldn't recall anymore which way we had taken. It all began to look the same.

"How will I ever learn to get around here?" I asked overwhelmed by the size of the structure, and the sameness of it all.

"You'll learn eventually" he said dryly. "You don't feel as warm anymore" he added more gently, taking one quick look at my face from where I lay in his arms. Paws. Whatever.

"I do feel better" I replied, trying to think of when my fever must have broken. I couldn't pinpoint the moment, it had been coming on slowly. "The herbs must be having their effect" I added smiling.

We finally arrived at a corridor that seemed familiar, and I recognized the door to my room.

He released me gently till my weight was fully on my foot, and pushed the door open without too much effort. It creaked and groaned as it dragged on the floor and against the rusty hinges, but it did not prove resistant enough to the superior strength of the Beast.

"I'll come for you at twilight, for dinner" he said, some of the earlier gained familiarity gone, but the softness remained.

"Agreed. Thank you" I said, wishing I could call him something other than Beast. But if it upset him to use his human name, then I would simply not call him anything at all.

He nodded at me, and dragged the heavy door back towards the stone wall, successfully closing it.

I took a deep breath, and began making my way to the hot water tub in the corner of the room. Though it was still fantastical and abnormal, I didn't have the mental capability to give it any thought.

My mind was so full of so much that needed processing.

I undressed quickly, and gently sat in the steaming water, letting the feeling calm me and bring me mental peace.

The more time I spent here, the more I doubted my firm convictions. In only a few hours, I had been persuaded to believe the fearsome beast everyone had spoken of to be a cursed prince. That the monstrous body in which he resided was a prison where a man paid for his father's dues.

I couldn't help feeling compassion and sympathy for him, for the lonely years he had spent here, hating what he was, watching others die of old age while he remained frozen in time, unable to be released from his prison, not even by death.

It was a cruel fate, perhaps too cruel. Could it not be true? I had my suspicions, but they no longer held much weight.

Something about today, and the kindness he hid behind his beastliness, refused to be silenced in my mind, to be ignored.

I was more inclined to believe him than before. I didn't want to but, the temptation was too great. I wanted to see a human there, one that I could finally be honest with, and who I could stand next to as an equal of mind and intellect, if not equal in station. Even if you counted my knighthood, which was technically false due to my true gender, he was still a prince, perhaps even a King, since he had mentioned the death of his father before the witch arrived.

But none of that mattered here. We were two souls, with minds of our own, no etiquette to observe, no difference other than our outward appearance.

And who was I to make that count? I, who hid mine, trying to pretend I was a man for years. But not here. I could be me, here.

I could be Belle, in the fullest sense.

That was new, but welcome, extremely so.

No, being here would not be the worst thing ever.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, lovelies! Just wanted to thank you for reading! Be advised, there is a bit of a time jump from last chapter to this one. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 12**

The sound of the makeshift broom scraped the stone ground with a familiar soothing sound. I had been cleaning for a week, now that my injuries were fully recovered.

It was hard not to think of the outside world when it was only me, and the emptiness of this crumbling castle. But cleaning kept my mind more occupied than laying around as I had been for the last few weeks.

The library had proved a lovely distraction, but even reading became tiresome after so many hours fixating my eyes on the pages of a book.

And then my thoughts wandered. Doubt would start creeping up inside me, and the restlessness would become almost unbearable.

The time I had spent here had allowed me to get to know the forgotten prince- almost king- much better. There were things he kept to himself, and moments were our tempers got the best of each other. But he was still the person I had been more honest with my entire life, with the exception of my father. And it felt wonderful.

But now that I could get about on my own, more than ever, I wanted to run. I couldn't accept spending the rest of my life here, trapped.

I had read the book of enchantments on the library from beginning to end, but the phrasing was ancient, and almost impossible to understand, and what I did decipher was utterly helpless in our situation. I had had to admit defeat there.

But there was still the possibility of trying to escape on foot. The beast had said it was impossible to leave, the enchantment assured it, and that furthermore, it was dangerous to wander into the forest without him. And the villagers had been sure no one had ever escaped from the monster they supposed haunted the land.

And that was where my doubts began. Should I risk my life against supernatural forces on the chance I could make it out? Or should I accept a life here, never knowing if I could have been free?

My eyes hungered after the world. I wanted to see it, learn of it, explore it. And I didn't think I could ever resign myself to giving that up.

But the beast, Vincent, he was kind to me… mostly. And I hated to think of the idea of leaving the only true friend I'd ever had, leaving him to rot for eternity, all alone.

My heart twisted within me, in conflict with itself, and I turned back to sweeping, hoping to distract my mind from this endless dilemma, to which I saw no solution.

I had explored every possibility, every path I could take, and none satisfied me.

None, but breaking the curse, gave me everything I wanted.

I knew it was the only choice I could live with.

But for the time being, I had no other ideas.

There _was_ the tale of true love's kiss being able to break any curse. But it was just that, a tale written into children's books. It was fiction.

There was no factual recollection anywhere of it actually working, ever.

And while I was fond of my cursed companion, I found it hard to imagine I could fall in love with a monster, however wonderful he might be inside. And even there, he needed some improvements.

I caught myself, again, having stopped in my labor.

I had been working on cleaning up the ballroom all week, since I had been able to walk safely on my own, but my head kept getting distracted, and I was little rusty in doing house work.

I had managed to dust almost every surface, though it seemed an endless job. No sooner had I finished with one chandelier, and then it was covered in a thin layer of dust the next day.

This castle was so dirty, it wasn't surprising that the dust traveled so quickly from one place to the next.

I had finally settled for finishing cleaning the whole room, rather than going back and forth from one chandelier to the next, and then back, insistent on perfect cleanliness.

I would do my best to rid it of all the dirt, and move on.

Hopefully, with time, I could restore it to something close to what it was once was.

I knew it would be impossible for it ever to be as clean or grand as it must have been when there were hundreds of people working here.

But I needed employment, and I was tired of living in dirt and grime.

How it had never occurred to the beast to pick up a broom, I tried not think about. It was just too typical of a prince.

The creaking of the heavy door first alerted me to the presence of the beast.

I looked up with a smile, welcoming the company, even if it was unaccompanied of any help.

"How are your roses looking this morning?" I asked him as soon as I saw him. I knew it was what he did first thing every morning.

"Much the same as yesterday" he replied, a little disappointment in his voice. "It's looking much better" he said, his eyes covering the large room.

"It's quite a thankless job" I replied, pausing in my work to look around. "No sooner I've cleaned one thing, and the dust is flying somewhere else" I added cheerfully. I had nothing else to do anyway.

"Don't take it to heart, I think the castle likes it that way" he said with an animalistic huff.

"It does?" I asked, not having considered that before, but noticing how casually we seemed to refer to the castle as an entity of its own. Though we hardly understood the curse, it did almost give the impression that the structure could have its own mind.

"This task, it's… been attempted in the past, to little success" he answered, once again keeping some of the facts to himself, and I wondered if he would ever open up entirely. Then again, I had my whole life to find out, it seemed.

"I do wish I'd known, I may not have spent the last week working on it" I said, feeling disappointed at the thought that dirt and grime was something else I'd have to get used to.

"Oh, your work isn't in vain. It will help, it just will never be as clean as you want it to be" he clarified as he walked past me towards the center of the ballroom. He looked up, hands behind his back, his eyes gluing themselves to the largest chandelier, right above him. "How I loved this room…" he said melancholically, sparking my interest.

He rarely ever spoke of the past.

"Did you dance?" I asked in wonderment, my mind instantly conjecturing images of grand balls, Prince Vincent gracefully leading the first dance, though I had no wish to imagine with whom.

He didn't reply right away, and I began to wonder if he planned to do so at all.

"Very much" he replied, his tone trying to repress any longing. "I may look large, brutal, and clumsy now, but back then I was quite light on my feet" he added, a rare occasion in which I heard a little pride in his voice.

"I'm sure you were very light, in general" I replied, hoping he would take the bait for me to tease him.

His large beastly body turned towards me, as I tried to repress a smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice a mix of confusion and offense.

I brought the broom to the front of me, and rested my chin on the top of the broomstick, my smile now fully decorating my face.

"Nothing at all, only I can imagine you being very light in all you did. In your picture, you seemed quite regally delicate. It's not meant to be an offense, just an observation" I explained, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You do know I was quite a young man in that portrait, hardly out of my teens" he said, coming closer.

I felt my stomach tickle inside me, as I dared to further tease him.

While we were comfortable with each other, it wasn't every day I braved provoking a prince turned beast.

"You don't have to explain" I said with as relaxed a laugh as I could fake.

He looked at me for a few seconds, his eyes trying to read my face, which hardly hid the enjoyment I was taking in this little intercourse.

"And yet… I feel like I do" he said, careful with his words.

"It's quite alright, Vincent" I said, daring to use his first name, looking him straight in the eye. "I myself have suffered from having a small, delicate frame my whole life. I understand you completely" I added.

He narrowed his eyes at me, then spoke again.

"Come with me" he uttered, beginning to walk out of the ballroom.

"I'm working!" I replied in resistance, but eager to know what he wanted to show me.

He didn't stop, or speak, just kept walking, and so in a few seconds I was running after him, trying to catch up.

"Are we going to the west wing?" I asked, bewildered at the idea. I knew that was his living space, and he had never welcomed me into it. But we were certainly walking in that direction.

"Just come" he replied, looking straight ahead.

Excitement bubbled within me, from the enjoyment of teasing him, and the suspense of what I would see.

"I wasn't cursed as a child, you know" he added a few seconds later.

"You weren't?" I asked, eager for him to divulge any new knowledge to me.

"No" he said turning to the stairs which led to his residence.

I struggled to keep up with his larger strides, but now my legs were recovered, I was eager to put them to use, to get my strength back.

In a few seconds, we were at the top of the stairs and turning left, my heart beating wildly, from the exercise it was no longer used to, and from the excitement to see where he spent his time away from me.

We walked past the giant doors, and into a foyer, where he stopped at once.

My heart dropped at the realization I wasn't going to be introduced to his quarters after all, but only to the foyer right before it.

But I tried not to let it show. For some reason, that idea of him knowing I wanted to see where he lived caused to my face to heat up.

Fortunately, I could blame it on the exercise.

"Well?" I asked.

I followed his hairy arm as he pointed me to one of the walls.

My eyes stopped short at the sight of a painting.

I felt my heart stop, all at once, as I beheld the image of human, adult Prince Vincent.

In the painting, he stood regally, his frame completely filling his light blue coat, no longer a delicate image, but one of… well, I could hardly describe it.

I fought the urge to gulp the knot tied at my throat, but it was almost impossible not to.

No, delicate he didn't look anymore. But not quite brawny either. Yet, you could see the strength leap off the image, one hand behind his back, the other gently placed on his midsection.

And his eyes, they looked like they could pierce you from two centuries ago, so blue, and with an expression that forbade me to look away.

I could see him dancing in my mind, clearly now, still skillfully, but not lightly in the way his scrawny teenage form might have.

He danced purposely, every step marking the dance perfectly, as he looked into the eyes of his dancing partner, never wavering.

She wasn't faceless anymore, either.

I was terrified to realize that, in my mind, she now bore my face.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

All the world and my worries were forgotten, as I laid on the warm floor of the farthest left balcony of the library.

I felt the book left open on my chest rise and fall with each breath, threatening to slip over with each movement.

I could feel the rays of the morning sun beat on my face, neck, and shoulders- a comfortable warmth against the cold winds slipping through the trees, signaling that winter was inching closer with each day.

How could I not enjoy the sun while we had it?

The book could wait. I had read it before, anyways.

Besides, what else did I have to do anyways?

The anxiety that had been slowly forming in my chest pushed forward at the thought, trying to make itself known, but I did my best to keep it at bay.

What use could it possibly be to let it take over me again?

I had sobbed in each corner of this castle, punched each wall in desperation. And what for?

There was no way out.

The curse was immaculate. There was nothing in the library that gave us any hope, as Vincent had originally said.

I had even insisted he take me around the forest to see if it truly were enchanted to keep us in. I had to try everything. It had taken weeks of demanding it, begging it, before he gave up and took me out, if only to silence me on the subject.

I didn't dare go out on my own. The bloody footsteps outside the castle each morning proved that there were dangers out there, from the curse, ready to take my life as it had taken others.

I now knew surely Vincent couldn't have been the one to kill the people who wandered into the deepest parts of the forest. And while I could fight, I had no weapon against magic.

It hadn't mattered in which way we went, though. For days we left each morning and searched, and no matter what we tried, we always ended up back at the castle. The forest was like a maze with no way out.

On the day I gave up, I cried endlessly into his furry chest, as he awkwardly held me in my favorite corner of the library.

Since that day, I had strived to resign myself.

But it was so hard to give up hope, to let myself rot in here, to watch the Beast watch me with those eyes, and sigh in that particular way that I had learned meant he could already see the time when I grew old, and died, and he came to be alone again.

It made my head spin, as if it were trying to find some other way, something we hadn't tried yet, to break the spell.

My stupid mind only came back saying I hadn't tried to love him. But I knew that was the stuff of fairy tales.

Kisses didn't really turn frogs into men, or wake damsels from their eternal sleep.

And it wasn't as if I could love a Beast.

I thought I could love the man he was inside, but what was love without attraction? And how could I ever be attracted to a monster?

It wasn't as if it would work anyways…

A loud sigh escaped my lips, and I sat up.

My thoughts had ruined the moment of peace.

All I could think about now was the impossibility of my situation. The warmth of the sun, or the cool of the wind no longer able to take my mind off of it.

How quickly I had gone from one prison to the next- from the one of a false identity to save myself, to a literal one.

I hugged my knees and tried to push it down again- the anxiety- the fear of the sameness, of never knowing anything more than what I knew today, of never meeting anyone new, of never seeing any place different.

I looked down to my book. I had better get back to it. It was the only way I could escape anymore, by visiting faraway places in my mind, and off the pages of these books.

But the floor creaked behind me.

"What are you reading today?" I heard the Beast's voice behind me.

"Rereading, actually" I responded with a smile. "Julius Caesar" I added, as I watched him sit beside me.

"Ah… Shakespeare… and dying for one's homeland" he said with a deep sigh, emanating from his massive torso. "Isn't that most noble thing a man can do?" he asked, with slight tones of sarcasm.

"Is it? I don't think…" I answered, trying to figure out what he meant, noting a bit of bitterness in his tone as well. "I don't think that at all" I added more surely as I came to realize his thoughts.

"It's the only noble thing I could do for my people... It would surely free the land from this curse" he responded heavily.

I shook my head.

There were too many things he felt negatively about already, without adding to his burdens the worries of his subjects, left to their own luck for two centuries.

Except it wasn't his fault. And his wanting to die wouldn't help anyone.

"The noblest thing you could do is lead them, protect them, and be a good example of conduct for your subjects, an ideal to aspire to. And you would do it if you could, I know it. That's the noblest thing a ruler can do, surely. Not just simply die" I argued.

"Easier said than done. If it were that simple all kings would do it" he replied with a huff.

"No, Vincent. That's not it" I retorted. "Most kings are simply selfish, and are out for their own prosperity. But books are written for them. And they prefer to blame all others for things which are their own doing, rather than go down in history as they truly are" I added. "All you need is the right mindset, a good heart, and the strength to never give up, and most any king could lead his nation properly"

I finished with conviction, hoping I could add some salve to his wounds with my words.

I expected for him to argue back, as he often did, but after a few seconds of waiting, I heard nothing.

I turned away from the view of the forest to inspect him, and found his eyes on me, curious and shining.

"You don't give up" he said.

At first, I thought it was a question, or that perhaps he was mocking me. I looked for the teasing in his eyes, or the sarcasm in his tone, but found none of it.

I didn't know how to reply to such a statement, and his gaze was unnerving.

His eyes were looking into mine, the blue of them mesmerizing me, and I found myself grateful he was able to keep those from his human form, if nothing else.

"Of course not" I answered simply, the only thing that I could think to say back. "Whatever for?" I inquired, and there was silence again.

"I don't know" he replied, sounding dumbfounded, as if he had never considered that question himself, and looked back out into the forest, and I followed suit.

"It would surely make for more happy endings in books and plays" I added after a few moments.

"And real life, too, I bet" he responded, sounding more cheerfully.

I took a moment to enjoy that.

He had so few reasons to feel anything good, or to have his mind challenged, if only by another being's average conversation.

And I could feel some happiness at that. If my life was to serve no other purpose, have no other impact in anyone or anything else, making the Beast happy was not the worst thing I could do.

"We should have a ball" I said, the words spilling out without any other thought.

"A ball?" he asked as if it was the most preposterous thing he had ever heard.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, hardly knowing where the idea had come from. "It will be exciting!"

He cleared his throat.

"How do you plan to get the invitations out? By dove?" he asked, and there was the teasing tone I so loved.

If there ever had been someone in my life with whom it had been so much fun to banter… no, there hadn't been. Not even close.

"No… I'd have no one to invite anyways…" I said turning towards him, and tucking my skirt under my knees, as I sat with my legs bent. "And I rather doubt you would know anyone, either… you're ancient" I added.

"Oh, that hurt" he said, touching his hairy chest. "You know, they say the heart never grows old, even if we do" he told me, raising one of his bushy eyebrows at me.

"No one says that, nowadays, Vincent. Perhaps two hundred years ago they did, but not anymore" I replied with a restrained smile.

"You tease too much" he answered after a few seconds of looking at me.

"No, I don't" I said more gently, but wondering if I really had gone too far.

"You know, my father would have thrown anyone in the dungeon for less than that" he shared, in seriousness or jest, I couldn't tell.

"But you aren't your father" I said in seriousness, wishing he would turn towards me, as I had turned towards him, so I might see his whole face, and determine his feelings.

"How do you know?" he asked, eyes far in the distance.

"I know your heart, Vincent" I said earnestly. "And you'd never do anything to deserve the fate you've been handed" I assured him, placing my hand on his upper arm, so large in comparison with mine. My fingers delved in the heavy fur, and I pressed gently, hoping the gesture would persuade him of the truth of my words.

I watched his head turn slowly, and his eyes glanced to where I was touching him. Then, I began to feel odd, as if it was not my place to be so familiar with him, all of the sudden.

I let my hand fall, and joined the other one in my lap, as I turned to look out the balcony, looking for something to engross my thoughts in, to make the feeling in my chest die down.

I could see out of the corner of my eye, as he turned to look away as well.

The wind had picked up speed somewhat, and I felt my hair tug itself loose out of my carelessly put together ponytail.

I took it out of its restraining bow and let it loose completely, busying myself, trying to brush it with my fingers, and untangle it somewhat, before attempting to pull it back again, and tying it with the piece of ribbon the chest in my room had provided this morning.

"So how would this ball work, if we can't have any guests?" he asked, shocking me out of my own thoughts by the ease of his deep voice.

I smiled, letting the awkwardness fade now, and thought about his question, amused about how we could go about this.

"It would have to be just you and me" I began.

"How about the music?" he asked.

He was right. We needed that. Couldn't have a ball without it.

"I could play the pianoforte, I suppose" he answered himself.

"No!" I replied instantly.

"Why ever not? I'm quite good. I _was_ a prince, you know? I had the best tutors, and I happened to have an affinity for music" he asked, a little offended, I thought.

"That's not why" I answered laughingly. "I'm sure you are quite proficient. And you are still a prince, by the way" I added jovially.

"Then why shouldn't I play the music?" he asked still, surprising me that he didn't know the answer.

"Then who would I dance with, silly?" I asked amused.

He stayed looking at me for a few seconds, as if trying to work out that particular problem, but I could swear his eyes got brighter then.

I remembered how he had looked when speaking of his dancing days. I could tell he had loved the activity very much, and missed it.

Though I suppose he might miss it all, every aspect of his life before. Being cursed as a Beast was an awful fate, but having been a prince before too… that had to make it worse.

"Do you remember the dance music you used to have at your balls?" I asked.

"I do" he said surely.

"Perfect, you can hum the melodies as we dance" I suggested, knowing myself it wouldn't look very refined, but unable to think of any other way.

"Hum?" he asked apprehensively.

"Yes, and I'll follow your lead" I replied with a smile, not caring what he thought in that moment. It would be so lovely dance… and my heart began beating faster at the prospect. I could close my eyes and imagine it was a real one, and I was dancing with Vincent, while he was a still human.

I felt my heart quicken with excitement and I jumped to my feet, and began to sway, pretending I was in the midst of his grand ballroom, chandeliers alight with fire, musicians fillings the room with entrancing melody…

"Belle" I heard him say with a small laugh, and I opened my eyes, smiling back.

"Oh, isn't it going to be great?" I asked him, my heart full of joy at the prospect.

I saw his eyes look into mine again, from where he was sitting on the ground, and I could tell the idea made him happy, for they were shining again, and his chest rose and fell with a happy sigh.

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	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the long wait! I had a hard time writing this chapter but here it is! Hope you guys enjoy it! (:**

 **Chapter 14**

My hand laid on the heavy door, as my chest rose and fell, again and again.

I stood there, in the beautiful dress I'd expected to find in the chest on the day of the ball.

The ball being just the Beast and I meeting in the ballroom for a dance.

I hadn't believed my eyes when I saw the golden fabric, the layers flowing and shimmering as if it were magical itself. And when I twirled in it, I felt like I had levitated off the floor along with the weightless full skirt. Even in my wildest dreams, I'd never be able to imagine such a dress.

Vincent and I had spoken about having a ball, just him and I, but now that it was time, I found myself frozen, my heart beating fast in my chest, in expectation, nervousness, exhilaration… I didn't know what.

All I knew was I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and I felt a heat emanate from my uncovered shoulders and neck, as if I'd been sitting by the fire for too long. My breaths came out of my mouth, loudly and deep, and no matter how I tried, there was no slowing them.

I looked down at the skirt of my dress falling all around me, large yet graceful, as fairy dust seemed to float off the layers of the fabric.

I finally took one last steading breath, pushed the door open, and stepped out.

I began my way towards the stairs, my heart aflutter in a dangerous way, and a smile overpowering my lips as I attempted to keep cool.

Something in the back of my head told me to stay back, that I shouldn't do this, but I wanted to, so badly.

And with each step, my heart became happier, and my smile grew wider and incontrollable.

My skin seemed to want to jump off my body as the hairs along my neck, shoulders and arms stood up as I approached the doorway where I would see the Beast.

My hands lifted my skirt effortlessly as I tried to stay balanced, the thin heels on my feet clicking on the stone floor.

I first saw his face, smiling so purely, as I had never seen it before. Then his torso came into view from the midway point of the stairway.

I had to keep from gasping. He looked every bit the prince he was, hairy and beastly and all, wearing a blue coat that made his eyes look even more bewitching than before.

My heart jumped in my chest, and I almost froze in my spot. Was this what my mind was afraid of?

Could it be I was beginning not to care he was a Beast at all?

No, it couldn't be. It was only the friend I loved, standing there in fine clothes, smiling so genuinely, which was causing this feeling, together with the lack of any excitement that this place afforded, which was making me feel this way.

It had to be.

I took another steading breath, and began to carefully descend the stairs towards the midway point at which he was waiting for me.

I saw his eyebrows lift, and he took in a shaky breath, which momentarily erased the smile before it made its appearance once again.

He extended a hand out to me as I approached, and I placed mine in his, thankful for the help in keeping my balance atop the unfamiliar high-heeled shoes.

I couldn't help thinking once again how regal he looked, almost dashing in an adorable beasty way.

I made myself laugh and it caught his attention.

"What is it?" he asked, concern palpable in his voice.

"I feel so silly in this" I lied, as I took a step down to begin our descending.

"You shouldn't. You carry it like a queen" he said, in all seriousness as he looked down where his feet were stepping.

My insides fluttered once again at his words, and I fought not to let my thoughts take me where they wanted, where it was dangerous.

"Nonsense" I replied, trying my best to sound normal and put together.

"I've seen my share of princesses and queens in my life as prince, and I can guarantee you their beauty is nothing compared to yours. Their fine gowns and jewels would fade in the presence of your natural glow" he said, and I could tell he was feeling as nervous as I was.

Oh no, I couldn't let him feel this way about me… this had not been a good idea.

The last thing I wanted was to give him another reason to hurt.

And I knew I would. I couldn't be his, not in the way he most likely ached for.

"It's just the dress" I said, trying to sound jovial, but failing miserably to hide my true feelings. I couldn't even meet his eyes as I said it.

He stopped as we reached the bottom of the stairs and turned towards me.

I watched his paw lift from his side and touch my chin, lifting it with very little force.

He lifted it until my eyes were almost forced to look into his. Almost.

"Belle" he said, and I could hear it in his tone- he was asking for my attention, for me to look at him as he spoke.

But inexplicably, my eyes became moist and my lip threatened to begin trembling, even as my heart became full.

How was it possible?

I hadn't wanted to think about it, not then, and not ever. I couldn't let myself want things I could never have. And what was worse, it seemed he was starting to want the same things.

I could stand my own pain, but his? The thought was unbearable.

Hadn't he already suffered enough?

If I was breaking already, how could I stand to pretend for the rest of my life that I felt such a different way?

"It's the truth, Belle. I do not lie to you" he said, noticing my show of emotions. "Why do you cry? What have I said?" he asked confused.

"Nothing" I replied, softly, as I took his other hand in mine, and forcing a smile to relieve him of his worry. "Thank you for your kind words" I added as I looked into his eyes.

He didn't look convinced, but began to lead me into the ballroom, my small hand resting on his large forearm.

The doors opened to reveal a mostly clean ballroom, shining with the moonlight streaming in from the large windows, and the soft candlelight of the chandeliers.

It looked magical, astounding, and for a moment I forgot what had been making me cry a moment earlier.

As we took up our positions, we noticed the wind picking up, squeezing in through the small passages in the ancient walls and old windows, its whistle sounding almost melodious.

"Perhaps you won't have to hum after all" I said, attempting some humor, as the whistle began to sound less and less like the random musings of the wind, and more like song.

I followed his steps mindlessly as he carried me through the dance. I felt a sudden heavy drop in my stomach, as he lifted me with his large paw and swung me around, my dress flowing around me in beautiful waves of gold.

I felt weightless, as if I were flying in his arms, the cool wind running through my hair, his warm paws securely holding me.

I laughed, a giggle I would have believed impossible a minute ago, but I was just so happy in the moment, and I wanted nothing to ruin it.

He lifted me and swung me around again, over and over, twirling me and turning me in unexpected ways, and I realized I absolutely adored this.

I adored how we moved together, how we laughed together, how he could lift me and swing me around as if I were a mere feather.

No one had ever made me feel more gentle and soft, more feminine.

Since I was little girl, all those years I'd pretended to be a man in the war, I'd always felt like a woman, even if I'd had to hide it.

But that moment, might have been the first time I had ever felt someone look at me as such.

My hair began to tug at the pins that kept it together, threatening to come loose but I couldn't care. I almost wanted it to come undone.

I began to laugh uncontrollably as he made me fly all around the ballroom, and the more I did, the more fun the dance seemed to get.

I could see Vincent's innocent beastly grin. He was enjoying the dance, for the first time since so many years ago, and he was enjoying bringing me such joy in that moment.

I felt tears begin to form on the edges of my eyes from laughing, and a familiar pain in my side made itself noticeable from the exercise.

"Oh, Vincent, stop!" I asked, as I laughed and began to hold where it hurt.

"What is it" he asked laughing too.

"My side hurts. I must rest" I said trying to catch my breath.

"Here, I'll walk you over to the balcony" he said, and with that lifted me off the floor effortlessly, not in the beastly way he had on the day we had met, but gently, and cradling me almost, as my head rested on his soft blue coat.

I let my eyes close, enjoying his warmth and gentleness.

But that fear began to creep up again, sudden and forgotten, and I damned it to hell for ruining things again.

The truth was, I could no longer deny them. As much as I hated the curse, and the circumstances it brought, I loved the Beast.

I loved him.

I did, and it scared me.

He was a man inside but only there. On the outside, he was still a monster. But my heart ached for him, nonetheless.

And that wouldn't do.

It just wouldn't do at all.

I didn't need to add another suffering onto myself.

I couldn't. My heart couldn't take it. I just knew it.

How could I accept this?

I couldn't. I couldn't live here by his side happily, not when I wanted so much more.

I felt the panic rise in me, as he placed me on the balcony.

I couldn't wander the empty halls of this castle for the rest of my life, always wondering about the outside, always wishing for the man who was cursed to be in the body of a Beast.

It would eat away at me, until nothing but an empty shell was left.

And what was worse, how could I do the same to him?

My heart ached for him, too. How awful for him to grow to feel for me what I felt for him, to see me every day and not be able to have me, to watch me grow old and die…

No, I realized it'd be better if I were gone, before his feelings could develop into more pain than he already felt.

Damn this awful, cruel curse!

I felt my chest growing tight, and I struggled to breath.

"Belle, are you alright? Is the pain worse?" he asked me.

The pain… I'd forgotten about that.

Sitting next to me on the balcony, he tried to meet my eyes, as I leaned down and took off each heeled shoe, alleviating my feet from their previous uncomfortably held position.

I looked into his eyes, knowing the pain I was about to inflict, telling myself I was saving him from even worse pain.

He saw mine, and began shaking his head, as if he could feel and dread what I would say next.

"I can't stay…" I managed to say.

"What? You can't… you can't leave, Belle. You know that" he said as his grasp tightened on my hand, even hurting my fingers between his strong paw and the shoe I held in it.

I could only shake my head, as my chest grew tighter and tighter.

"I have to try…" I said, struggling to get the words out.

"Why, Belle? You'll die, I assure you. I wouldn't keep you trapped here with a lie, Belle. I… love you, if I could let you go, I would. But I can't let you do this" he said, his voice becoming more desperate.

Those words… they hurt more than if I he had taken my heart in his claws and squeezed and ripped it to shreds.

I was happy he returned my feelings… and yet, hurting even more knowing I had let it get this far.

"You…? What?" I shook my head, refusing to let the confession sink in, lest it had the power to change my mind. "No, I can't. I'll risk it, I'd rather…"

"Rather die?!" he roared, his patience and desperation reaching new levels.

My insides twisted within themselves as I thought of death.

I didn't want it.

But I also knew I couldn't stay.

"Belle" he said, trying to settle his emotions. "Please, you'll die" he added fearful.

"I can fight, perhaps I won't" I said, trying to convince myself as well as him, as I struggled to break free of his grasp.

"Is it so terrible to be here with me?" he asked, his voice filled with pain.

"No, Vincent, no" I said, getting close again. I couldn't leave him thinking that. "You're... the best part of… anything that's happened to me…" I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

I watched a glimmer of hope spark in his eyes.

"Then, stay" he begged. "I will do anything…"

"I can't…" was all I managed to respond. I knew it was not nearly enough, but knowing now what he felt, I couldn't explain more.

If he knew how I loved him, too… he'd never let me risk my life.

I reached with my hands around his large torso, bringing them around his large upper back, hardly embracing its large form, and pressed my face against his chest, letting my tears stain the beautiful blue and gold fabric.

His enormous arms embraced me so tight, that any breath left in my body was gone instantly.

But even as I struggled to regain it, I enjoyed his embrace, relished in the knowledge that this prince loved me, and tried to memorize what that felt like, hoping it would give me the courage to carry out what I feared I had to do.

"Belle… I can't let you… I can't let you kill yourself" he said firmly as he held me in his embrace.

"You can't stop me" I replied tearfully, as I dug the heel in my right hand deep and hard into the curve of his neck.

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 **A/N: So, what did you think? (: Please let me know your thoughts! Any feedback is highly appreciated!**


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